Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark
by dyly
Summary: Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that’s off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Which side will he choose?
1. Prologue

Summary: Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is mine! Mine I tell you! Mine! All of it belongs to me, so get your hands off it, you filthy thieves!!

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 1

Prologue

--

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream

- Malcolm Muggeridge

--

'Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Caleb and Harry, happy birthday to you!'

The chorus of voices rose to a crescendo at the end of the song and as the assembled crowd held onto the last note, the piano played a jazzy finish ending on a loud boisterous final chord. The sound of cheering filled the air, followed by exclamations of,

'Blow the candle out! Go on Harry, Caleb, blow it out!'

A bemused one year old stared around at the gathering as his twin giggled beside him. Today was Harry and Caleb's first birthday, the first day in a long while that the people here could finally relax and just enjoy themselves. Sitting on the coffee table in front of them was a chocolate and cream cake, topped with multicoloured icing and a zooming golden snitch (much to Lily's disappointment, James had won the toss and got to choose the cake topping). Above the snitch was a big red candle in the shape of a number one. When Lily gently nudged them forward, the boys leant towards the flame and blew it out. Another round of cheering ensued and then the cake was cut and served.

The party was in celebration of Caleb and Harry's first birthday, twin sons to James and Lily Potter. Their first year had been hard on everyone, though James and Lily tried not to show this to their sons. Voldemort's reign of terror had reached a peak, and every day would bring news of yet more attacks and deatheater raids. James, an auror alongside his best friend Sirius Black, worked tirelessly to try and combat the dark forces but with little success. However hard they tried, Voldemort always seemed to have more deatheaters to replace the ones they put away or killed. Ever since they left Hogwarts, James and Lily spent all of their time helping Dumbledore and the order of the phoenix. The discovery that Lily was pregnant was a joyous moment, the first in a seemingly endless string of death and misery. Following months of fierce arguments between Remus and Sirius on who got to be Godfather to the newborn, the problem was solved by the news that there was in fact going to be two babies.

Caleb and Harry Potter were born to two proud parents on the 31st July, following hours of labour. Caleb was the first to appear, the bigger of the two twins. His hair was a strange mix of brown with red highlights and he had a chubby face with hazel eyes, which he had clearly inherited from his father. Generally though he seemed to take after his mother more unlike his younger brother Harry. Born on the stroke of midnight, Harry was the smaller twin. He had a mop of jet-black hair, stubborn and unruly even at that age, a Potter trait. His eyes were a sparkling green, the colour of emeralds or killing curses, whichever you prefer. Harry obviously took after his father more, though he had his mother's nose. His face was slender and his body on the whole not as chubby as Caleb's. Where Caleb was the cute, bubbly kind of baby, Harry had the angelic, adorable look. The very same day Sirius Black became Harry's godfather and Remus Lupin became Caleb's godfather.

In the weeks and months that followed, Lily had to struggle on her own, trying to look after the two young babies. Voldemort's activities were ever increasing as he got nearer his goal and James barely ever got home before midnight, before having to rush off at seven, to go back to work. Auror numbers were dwindling and the light side suffered many casualties. When James was at home, he was tired and snappish and the twins were always asleep, so he never got to spend any proper time with them. His and Lily's relationship was strained as Lily suffered the strain of both caring for two demanding children on her own and hearing about dead friends, always worrying that next time it would be her husband or another relative.

Remus, being a werewolf couldn't serve as an auror, though that was never suited to him anyway. Instead Dumbledore had sent him on a mission to recruit as many werewolves as he could to their cause and to try and tackle Voldemort's control over the werewolf population. Dumbledore himself, though close to the Potter family, was never free and she didn't expect any more from him, he was after all the leader of the light. Andrew Potter, her father-in-law, was also busy fighting for the light and his wife; Sarah Potter worked to help those who were victims and casualties of the dark side, often children who had lost all their family or wizards who had suffered fighting for the light. All in all, that first year was a lonely one for Lily and it was great to finally have one day where they could forget everything and just spend the day together, enjoying each other's company.

Present at the party were Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Andrew, Sarah, Frank, Alice and little Neville who had also celebrated his birthday a few days earlier. Having cut the cake, the adults sat down with a cup of tea whilst Harry, Caleb and Neville were left to play together. While Caleb and Neville did so, Harry didn't seem that interested in socialising and spent his time playing on his own.

'Lily, sweetheart, do you ever worry about Harry?' Alice asked, watching Harry who was currently staring down a magically charmed Pelican who had tried to steal his building blocks.

'All the time, God knows what I'll do if anything ever happened to him or Caleb. What with Voldemort gaining power, I suppose it's inevitable that he's going to try and get rid of us. Hopefully later rather than sooner.'

'No I didn't mean about Voldemort. I meant his behaviour.'

Lily looked at her, obviously puzzled by this question. The others turn to look at them, similarly curious.

'You must have noticed how quiet he is. Really, he never shouts or complains or anything. Normally I'd just say you were lucky he's so well behaved but you have to admit this is a bit unsettling. He's just so opposite to his twin. Caleb is always so boisterous and happy and Harry is…well neutral is the only word I can think about.'

Lily glanced at James as they all turned to look at Harry, who was now building a colour-coded castle out of his blocks.

Lily sighed, 'Sometimes it crosses my mind but then I always forget about it. But now that you mention it, he never cries for his milk or for anything to be honest. He's always so sedate, always so calm and collected if you can say that about a one-year-old, nothing seems to trouble him. It just never occurred to me that I should be worried about it. Should I?'

'Maybe he's autistic,' said Sarah. She explained further to clarify, 'It's rare, but usually present from birth. And it does fit. He's withdrawn and he isn't great with socialising. I'm no expert, but it does fit with what I know.'

Lily exchanged worried glances with James, who scratched the back of his head nervously.

'Maybe. But loads of kids are quiet and maybe Harry just prefers to be on his own. He's only one; you can't say he's antisocial when the only other kids he meets are Neville and Caleb. And Caleb doesn't count. He's his twin.'

'Look let's just leave it. We can wait a few months; if we're still worried then we can go see a healer. We don't have to talk about this now, it's their birthday.'

Remus rubbed Lily's back gently and she shot him a grateful look. It was the first time in ages she'd had some time with her friends and family and she didn't want to ruin it. She stood up to get some biscuits and chocolate. As she left, the rest started talking quietly of Voldemort and his current activities. No one saw Dumbledore watching Harry pensively.

--

It was almost 10:00pm now and Harry and Caleb had both fallen asleep in their parents' arms, exhausted from the day. Alice and Frank had left with Neville a couple of hours earlier. James' parents and Sirius and Remus had just left, they did after all have to go back to work the next day.

'Sickle for your thoughts, Albus?' James asked, noticing the faraway look in Albus' eye.

Albus smiled softly, 'It'll cost you more than a sickle, my boy,' he said, his eyes twinkling.

James grinned, 'You look tired Albus, you're not as young as you were you know. You should try and get more rest.'

'If only I could, James. But you know what it's like. Voldemort's going mad out there, I haven't got the time. I fear we're fighting a losing battle here,' he said, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

'Don't say that!' Lily exclaimed, 'We can't give up; we'd doom the whole wizarding world to a lifetime of misery and terror! Albus!'

Dumbledore smiled at Lily gently, 'I know, Lily, I know. Still, I have a feeling that things are going to get a bit more chaotic soon enough.'

Dumbledore motioned towards Caleb and Lily passed him to the headmaster. Caleb sighed softly in his sleep as Dumbledore smiled down at him. Gently rocking the child in his arms he looked up at his former students who immediately noticed the grave expression on his face. Shooting each other worried looks, they looked quizzically at him.

'Lily, James, as you are both well aware, Voldemort's control over the wizarding world is growing. As much as we like to believe it's not true, we must concede that Voldemort is very close to winning.'

He held up a hand to stem Lily's protesting. 'It's true Lily, you know that as well as I do. The light, it seems, grows ever weary of this war. Still, tell me, do either of you believe in fate?'

'Fate? What's fate got to do with anything?'

'Powerful though I may be, I was never a match for Voldemort. Yes, I have succeeded in holding him thus far, but inevitably the day will come when I can no longer do so. You see, it was my fate to defeat Grindelwald, that's why I was gifted with the power I was given and I did that. It was never my duty to fight Voldemort.'

'Albus, I don't understand'

'Think about it, my boy. Everything in this world comes in pairs. Heaven and Hell, Yin and Yang, Good and Evil, Light and Dark. Grindelwald and I were a pair, and so with Voldemort there is an imbalance in the world. A powerful force that has nothing to counteract it and such a thing is never meant to exist. That's why I believe that fate will deem it necessary to create another powerful force, on the side of the light to combat Voldemort.'

'When will this happen then? Does this person already exist? Are they on the light side, do you know where they are? Have they agreed to fight with us?' James fired, leaving him breathless with excitement.

'James, my boy, I believe I know exactly who this person is. You see, before now I never knew when this person would arrive, whether I'll even be alive by then. But it seems their arrival was not to be so far away. A year ago I found myself in Hogsmeade for a job interview. I must admit I was a bit sceptical at first as to the potential of this particular applicant. My initial suspicions confirmed I was about to leave when something astonishing happened. As it so happened this woman was a seer and she chose that particular moment to make a truly remarkable prophecy.

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him_

_Born as the seventh month dies_

_And the dark lord will mark him as his equal_

_But he will have the power the dark lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hands of the other_

_For neither can live while the other survives_

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord_

_Will be born as the seventh month dies_'

A moment of silence passed as James and Lily tried to comprehend the meaning of the prophecy and then it dawned on them simultaneously. They turned to each other and Lily grabbed James' hand.

'It can't be! It means Caleb or Harry!' Lily said, staring at James and Harry.

'Maybe. You see Lily; it could either be Harry, Caleb or Neville Longbottom. Both you and James, and Frank and Alice have all defied Voldemort three times, and Neville too was born at the end of July.'

'So it might not be Harry or Caleb at all. It might be Neville?' As much as it tore at her to think it, Lily hoped that it would be Neville. She just couldn't bear the thought that one of her babies could be fated to spend his life fighting Voldemort.

'Possibly. All three of the children could be the chosen one.'

'So you don't know who it could be? How do we find out, _do_ we find out or do all three of them have to fight Voldemort?'

'I do have my suspicions as to who it is. As much as it pains me to say this, I believe the child the prophecy speaks of is Caleb.'

Lily's hands flew to her mouth in horror and James looked on, stunned by the announcement.

'Caleb? But…What?'

'I'm sorry, Lily, James. He seems to be the most likely one. Harry and Caleb were born on the last day of the seventh month so that effectively rules out Neville.'

'Then how do you know it's Caleb and not Harry.'

'I can't be sure so don't take my word as gospel truth. But looking at them, would you not agree with me that Caleb is most likely to be the one. He is bigger and older, if only a few hours. He's more extrovert and energetic. And what with the suspicions of autism, it does seem as if Caleb is the chosen one.'

Lily got up and took Caleb off Dumbledore. Shocked by the news she stood by the window hugging her child. Turning to Dumbledore James asked.

'So what does this mean?'

'Unfortunately that's not all the bad news I have. The meeting took place in the Hog's Head, not the best place for privacy. I didn't object because I had no reason to fear being overheard. The suddenness of the hearing meant I was unable to put up any privacy charms.' Here he paused, hesitating to tell the one thing that could ultimately ruin the lives of the young family in front of him. 'There was an eavesdropper. A spy for Voldemort. The one saving grace though is that he was discovered before he heard past the beginning. Voldemort only knows that the child might be Caleb, Harry or Neville.'

Lily clutched Caleb to her chest, tears streaming down her face. James held on to Harry, unable to say anything more, to question it.

'You are in grave danger. Knowing Voldemort as I do, I have no doubt he will try and attack the children whilst they are young in order to eliminate the threat to him. You will have to go into hiding for the indefinite future. The Longbottoms will be informed as well and they too will have to go into hiding. I have already made the preparations. James, you own a house in Godric's Hollow, do you not?'

James nodded in comprehension.

'You will have a few days to pack your belongings. No one but those you really trust can know that you are going and to where. You will portkey into the home secretly and then I will place the Fidelius Charm on the house. You will need a secret keeper of course.'

'How long do we have to stay there?'

'At this point I cannot be certain. All I know is that you cannot leave until Voldemort is dealt with and you are no longer in danger. I will try my best to try and stop him, to make him go into hiding but I don't know how that will happen.'

'So we just have to stay in a house for God knows how long, until either he finds us or you kill him. While other people lose their lives fighting the dark, we go and hide like cowards!' James exclaimed, his face dark with anger.

'James, it's the only way. I know it is against everything you believe in to back away and hide but you must listen to me. I cannot defeat Voldemort; I can only hold him off. If he is to be destroyed for good, if we are to have any chance at all of defeating him then Caleb is our only hope. If you don't go into hiding chances are he will get killed and we need him! If things continue as they are then I will make arrangements for you to move abroad, America possibly. Somewhere you can hide without Voldemort finding you. Tom won't leave Britain I know that. If that happens then it will be up to you to train him well and then when the time comes he can return to England to fulfil the prophecy.'

Lily came and sat beside James, her eyes squeezed shut in the vain attempt to believe that this was all some horrible nightmare. But she knew it wasn't and she hated that she did. Dumbledore stood up, looking every bit his age. Sorrow for his favourite pupils lined every wrinkle in his face, his eyes shining with tears.

'I must go now, I have to see the Longbottoms and then finish the preparations. I suggest you go to sleep, try and get to terms with it. James, you won't need to go into work from now on. I have arranged for someone to go disguised as you, as a cover. A few weeks after you enter hiding he will also stop going and then Voldemort will know. Pack everything you need into boxes, I will have them transferred over. I will return in three days and take you there.'

He hesitated a moment, looking at their stricken faces, and said quietly 'I am truly sorry for this burden'. He strode over to the floo and with a backwards glance threw some powder into the fireplace and stepping into it, he disappeared.

In the living room, Lily buried her head into James shoulder and sobbed. Their young twins slept on blissfully unaware of what had befallen them.

--

'Oh for Merlin's sake, Sirius! Stop it, I'm going as fast as I can, we can't all transform whenever we want, you know.'

The black dog at Remus' feet barked mournfully, before running ahead a few feet, barking at the manor ahead and then running back to bark at Remus. He carried on in this vein despite Remus' admonishments and the werewolf didn't have the heart to say any more. He had been staying at Grimmauld Place with Sirius before he had to go back to the werewolf pack and they had received James' letter at the same time. It was hard to make sense of it but they had got the general sense of emergency from it and so they had wasted no time in apparating to the Potter Manor. James hadn't said why they couldn't just floo, just something about wards and security. He had the feeling that James hadn't been completely with it when he wrote the letter.

He had never realised how long it took to walk up from the apparition point and by the time he got to the Manor door, he was panting. The recent transformation and living in the wild with the other werewolves had taken their toll on him. Sirius stood by the door in his human form tapping his foot impatiently.

'The door won't open.'

'What?' Remus replied, confused.

'The door to the manor won't open. James must have locked it or something.'

'Then why don't you just knock?'

'I did. I'm not stupid you know!'

'Could've fooled me,' Remus muttered under his breath, earning himself a dirty look from Sirius.

'I'm just saying, it's strange that the door won't open. It always opens to us; it's not like James to completely close it off. That's all.'

'Hmm.'

They stood by the door waiting for someone to open it and while Remus had enough patience and common sense to know that something important was going on, Sirius didn't. Remus was just looking around blankly, when he heard Sirius yell,

'Hey Jamsie! Let us in already!'

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's behaviour. At that moment the door swung open to reveal James, looking decidedly frazzled.

'Mate, you look like shit!' were Sirius' first words.

James mumbled something and then walked off. Having grasped that something was seriously amiss, the two marauders looked at each other worriedly before following him. The living room was a mess. Open boxes littered the floor and Lily stood over to one side organising the contents of one. Over in the corner was a playpen where Harry and Caleb were playing and a path through the boxes led over to it from the door where they were standing.

'Hey Prongs, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were moving or something.'

This didn't gain any response from their friends. Stepping further into the room, Sirius and Remus peered into the boxes around them.

'James, what's going on? Why are you packing?'

James looked up from the box he was bending over, as if seeing them for the first time. He closed his eyes briefly, before straightening out and coughing nervously. He walked over to the sofa and dropped onto it followed by Lily and Remus and Sirius joined them. After several failed attempts, James managed to make out,

'We're going into hiding.'

Sirius and Remus' faces were the picture of confusion.

'Hiding? You're going into hiding? I don't understand.'

'There's this prophecy you see' James proceeded to tell them everything Dumbledore had said and thankfully they waited until the end to ask questions.

'Does that mean we can't see you again?'

'Well, you can still come and see us at Godric's Hollow but not all the time. It'd be suspicious. But if we go abroad then I don't know. Probably not, unless you come with us.'

They were quiet for a while, thinking about all the implications of this new situation, before Sirius broke the silence.

'So this secret keeper thing.'

Lily and James looked at each other.

'Well, we'd definitely like one of you to be the secret keeper. We'd trust you with our lives.'

Before he could go on, Remus interrupted him. 'Sirius should be secret keeper. Not that I don't want to be,' he added hastily, 'but I'm living with the werewolves now. It'd be easier for Voldemort to target me than Sirius.'

'Sirius, is that okay with you?'

'Of course it is. Just tell me what to do.'

James smiled at him. 'Dumbledore's coming tomorrow to take us there so you'll have to come with us for when he performs the charm. In fact you come as well, Remus. I wrote to Peter but he couldn't come today so he'll be there tomorrow.'

Now that he had told his best mates, it felt like a weight off his shoulders. It was hard to repeat everything, as if that made it really true but it was over now and they understood which was the main thing.

Lily went off to make them all a cup of tea and something to eat. Isaac the family house elf had been sent to stay with James' parents in Cornwall where they had a small home. Technically the Potter Manor belonged to them as they were the oldest in the family, but they had insisted once the twins were born that Lily and James were better off staying there. It was easier for them to stay in Cornwall, especially for their work.

Remus and Sirius stayed over all night helping them to pack what they needed and by the time the sun rose in the morning they were all exhausted but ready for the move.

--

A/N: Finally, the first chapter is over! This story has been floating around in my head for almost two years!! The good thing is though that I have the WHOLE story planned out chapter by chapter to the end.

I have read SO many TBWL fics by now, you name it and I've probably read it. But you know what, I can count on one hand the number of them that have gotten past the stage where James/Lily/Wizarding world have realised their mistake. Seriously, none of them ever get finished, ever!

So I have challenged myself to write my own and heaven help me, I will finish it if it's the last thing I do. I swear!

Anyway, hopefully you'll review and tell me what you think. Just a quick note would be nice, even if you never review again that's fine. I'd like to know what you think


	2. Fate's Child

Summary: Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling…or am I?

A/N: OMG! You guys are quick! I honestly had no idea I was going to get the response I did but I was amazed by it. So thank you to everyone who added me to their story alert, favourite author, favourite story lists and especially everyone who reviewed. Because it was the first chapter and because I'm so grateful to you guys I'll name everyone (but only the once), so a big, big thank you to:

Dreams Lady, Arnoux, Fire Talon, zoebeansmommy, S-Dreamers, destinystar105, neko-in-tears, BrightFeather, TimFitz21, Houquilter, Imtweetybird, Munchnzoey, Prie, Kwanita, Demonkiller1234, Panther73110, Darksnider05, Raziel44, Emerald.water.lilly, Jacketslacker, KitCat7, Darkveelia88, Garden Of Everything, Charlie-becks, Phoenixi77, 3abzorno, striker90, Bittersweet Alias, frekleforce01, Fifespice, adenoide, joralie, sakurafanic, ms belle, ahoyhoy, jabarber69, blackwolf26, dragonfire300, animeflunky.

I wasn't going to put the chapters up until I had written ahead but I was persuaded to put this up as soon as I could. Enjoy it!

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 2

Fate's Child

--

Three months had passed since the day they had gone into hiding. The seasons had changed and the trees were gold and red. Autumn was always the best season, very Gryffindor as James put it. They had moved in without any difficulty, Sirius became secret keeper and from that point on they only ever saw a limited number of people. The marauders and close members of the order were the only ones allowed to access the house. At the beginning they would pop out for a few hours, just to be outside in the fresh air for once but it began to get more dangerous and eventually they were forced to wait indoors under the protection of the charm.

Cooped up for so long they all began to get restless and impatient. James was the worst but understandably so, he never was one to wait things out. It almost killed him to go from fighting Voldemort everyday to hiding in a house 24/7. If there was one benefit though it was that he finally got the chance to spend time with his firstborn sons. Having spent their first year fighting the forces of evil he now started to really get to know his children, playing with them, feeding them and caring for them.

When they had first heard the prophecy, the terror of what it implied gripped them until it was difficult to breathe and it felt like everything was closing in on them. But now, cut off from the world, it was easier to come to terms with it. They had both agreed that despite Caleb's future role they would treat both of their sons equally. No matter what, Caleb wouldn't be more important than Harry. It was essential they saw it like that otherwise it could end up being a disaster.

Harry and Caleb had both grown a lot since their first birthday. Harry, for all their concerns about him, was the first to do everything. He had started crawling and walking long before Caleb and by now was running around energetically. He never seemed to tire out and though he was as quiet and introvert as he always was, he took great pleasure in spending hours running from one room to the other, under tables and climbing over chairs. Harry was also very intelligent; he learnt to speak months before Caleb did. Caleb could now say a few words here and there but Harry had a much bigger vocabulary and though James found Caleb's attempt at speaking immensely cute, Lily thought Harry's sentences were far more impressive.

Both children were upstairs now, James had gone to put them to bed after their baths. The curtains were drawn and the lights dimmed until only the living room was lit. James came to sit down beside Lily on the sofa and they stared peacefully into the fire for a while basking in its warm glow. Turning her head towards her husband, she considered him for a moment before speaking.

'James.'

'Hmm.'

'It was okay to make Peter the secret keeper wasn't it?'

James turned to look at her before smiling softly, he leant down and kissed her on the forehead. Putting an arm around her he rubbed her shoulders gently.

'Lily, sweetheart, you need to stop worrying about it. I trust Peter, we both do. I've known him since first year, he may seem soft but he's strong inside. And Sirius was right, it is obvious that he'd be the secret keeper. I _know _he'd die for us if he had to but we don't know what kinds of things Voldemort can do. Peter's a far more subtle option, Voldemort'll never guess that we picked him.'

'I know, I know, I understand why we did it. It's not that I don't trust Peter. It's just, you know…I trust Sirius more. But whatever, what's done is done, there's no point worrying about it now.' She kissed him on the cheek and stood up, 'I'll just go and check on the twins, I'll back in a sec.'

Lily gave James her mug of tea and walked away. She was half way out of the room when they heard a huge crashing sound, a moment of silence and then it came again. James ran out of the living room, his wand out in front of him. Lily looked on in horror as the front door shook violently.

'Lily, run! It's Voldemort, just go, I'll hold him off for as long as I can. Take the twins and run! Get the portkey and tell Dumbledore! Peter's betrayed us!'

Lily jerked at the sound of her husband's voice. Shooting one last fearful glance at her husband, she ran up the stairs towards the nursery shouting a final desperate 'I love you' to James who was standing in front of the door, waiting for Voldemort.

With a final shudder, the door crashed in falling to the floor. Through the dust, James could see the outline of Voldemort, illuminated by the light from the streetlamp outside. As he walked forward, his red eyes glinted evilly. James stilled his shaking hand and stood up straighter, lifting his chin defiantly.

'Back off Voldemort. I won't let you have my family.'

Voldemort laughed maliciously at this and with a jerk of his hand all of the photos lining the staircase wall fell down simultaneously. He summoned towards him a framed photo of Harry and Caleb sitting together in the garden, smiling up at the camera.

'The twins I assume,' he said, holding up the photo.

James' face twisted with anger and hatred.

'Put that down, you bastard,' he hissed between gritted teeth.

'And adorable twins they are. Not that I ever cared for children, far too annoying and aggravating for me. But I bet you love them very much, don't you Potter?'

'I swear Voldemort, you lay one hand on them and I'll-'

'You'll what? Kill me? I think not Potter. No, you've been a thorn in my side for far too long.' He gestured vaguely to the walls, 'A valiant attempt you made at hiding, no doubt with Dumbledore's help. But you shouldn't have bothered, no one can escape me Potter, no one. And you like all of the light will fall down before me. But don't worry, I have no intention of killing you quickly, no I think I'll kill that filthy mudblood wife of yours first, in front of you. And then your children after that, slowly of course. We can hear their screams as the sun rises. Then finally, Potter, I'll let you join them. Generous as I am.'

James' face was dark with anger and loathing for the semi-man in front of him. Straightening his arm, he levelled his wand at Voldemort aiming right between the eyes.

'Don't you dare threaten my family. Don't you dare.' Noticing that Voldemort had yet to draw his own wand, James fired off a quick stunner followed by a blasting spell and a bone-breaking curse in quick succession.

Voldemort laughed and effortlessly deflected the spells. He fired off a blood-boiling curse in reply and as James ducked to avoid it, he drew his wand. James retreated into the hallway as Voldemort approached him still firing curses and hexes. Ducking and dodging, James avoided the spells, as best as he could, firing off his own to try and stop the Dark Lord heading his way. He leapt out of the way into the living room as a particularly nasty curse flew over his head, hitting the top of the door and causing it to disintegrate into a heap that began to hiss and burn as soon as it hit the floor.

As Voldemort turned into the room, James sent off a barrage of curses and hexes from across the room. A bubble shield charm stopped most of them but caught unaware, one of the slashing hexes nicked the Dark Lord on the thigh. Voldemort hissed at the man out of anger. There was no way an ingrate like him could have injured the Dark Lord! Running out of patience with this game, Voldemort fired James into the wall behind him. Catching his shoulder on the fireplace, James collapsed on the floor unconscious. Voldemort sneered at him, his fingers twitching to kill him. But he stilled them; no he would wait until later to savour the moment when he did it. And he did like his previous plan very much, killing the family in front of him. Fitting punishment indeed for the man who had wreaked so much damage on him.

Turning on his heel, Voldemort strode up the stairs pausing on the landing. All of the lights were on in every room up here. Waving his hand he strode down the hallway, the doors blasting inwards as he walked past them. Coming to the room at the end, he saw a flash of darkness across the light spilling out from under the door. Sneering at the mudblood's pathetic attempts at hiding, he waved at the door causing it to swing open dramatically. His sneer widened at what he saw. The woman stood by the crib, her arm around the redhead twin who was standing in it. The blackhead twin stood in front of them on the floor, a midget in comparison to her. It appeared as if she had just lifted him out of the crib and was in the process of doing the same to the other.

Upon seeing him, she froze in terror her eyes widening (he did have that effect on women). She quickly pulled herself together, straightening out to stand in front of the twin in the crib, instinctively hiding him from view. Voldemort snorted at this, honestly, what about the one in front of her.

'N-n-no, please...please, no. Not my babies. Please, just leave them be. Not them please, they haven't done anything, please. You can have anything, but not them.'

'But I don't want _anything_. I want the twins, so why don't you just move out of the way, you foolish woman and let me have them. After all, I will get them eventually, I always get what I want. Perk of being a Dark Lord, you see.'

'No, no, I won't let you have them. I won't. Go away, leave us alone.'

'Step aside! Do you really think you can stop me? A pathetic mudblood against a Dark Lord?'

The woman shook her head vigorously, he noticed now that she held a wand in her hand but almost too late because at that moment a blasting hex came flying at him. Voldemort snarled, he hated surprises with a vengeance! Fed up with people standing up to him, he fired a sickly white coloured spell at her that was flecked with mouldy green. The spell was too quick for Lily, who was unable to do anything to block it. Voldemort was already smirking at his quick success but at the last moment the spell swerved out off the way, narrowly missing the woman. This confused him greatly. There was no way she could have known what that spell was or how to counter it and even if she did, she didn't have the time! She looked just as puzzled as him so that told him it couldn't have been her.

Something in his peripheral view caught his attention. Looking down he saw the black haired twin, a solemn expression on his face, his eyes glowing slightly. Those eyes took his breath away. Emerald green, the exact shade of the killing curse. They were his eyes, the ones he had before he had sold his soul to the devil. Seeing the boy clearly for the first time, it began to unnerve him how creepily similar he was to him as a child. The same dark black hair and strong features. The sombre look in his eye was eerie and with a snarl he threw the boy wandlessly out of the way. He had invested years into becoming who he was now; he didn't need reminding of how he used to be.

Lily screamed as Harry was flung across the room coming to a stop face down on the floor by the teak wardrobe. As Voldemort stared at the limp body of his young nemesis, hating and respecting the one year old at the same time, he didn't notice as Lily turned her eyes on him. Didn't notice the fury and hatred burning in them so like those of her son. He never anticipated the anger that could fuel a mother.

Seeing Voldemort's momentary distraction, Lily whipped her wand up and used the burning within her to fuel the strongest slashing hex she could muster. It was only through deeply imprinted instinct and a small measure of luck that Voldemort was able to jump out of the way. Though not far enough for the hex caught him on the arm, ripping through the flesh practically down to the bone. Pain flared through him, pain that bit at him tearing through his senses like wildfire. He quickly used occlumency to push the pain away until it was just a throbbing that numbed his arm. Anger quickly replaced the pain, consuming him and urging him to make her suffer.

He stood up tall, ignoring his arm and the blood now seeping on to the floor. While Voldemort was dealing with the hex, Lily had run over to Harry and picked him up, bringing him back to the cot. Cradling him tightly in her arms, she didn't notice Harry's return to consciousness. Roused by the pressure tightening around him, Harry struggled to escape from the darkness that was surrounding him.

'If you think I'd just let you take my babies, then you can think again' Lily spat at the livid dark lord in front of her. She knew it was dangerous, that she playing with a force she could never handle, it was suicide clearly. But she just couldn't bring herself to care. She'd look back on it later and wonder where she ever got the strength to stand up to the most fearsome being in the country and then James would butt in and say that it was because she was fearless and ridiculously headstrong. But right now the adrenaline was pumping through her and she felt more alive than she had ever been in a long time. The emotional roller coaster of the last couple of years had left her tired and weak, forced to stay with the children she could only look in from the sidelines. But now, with the dark lord himself standing in front of her, she felt as strong as Dumbledore.

Wiping the blood off his wand hand, Voldemort replied, 'Fine, if this is how you want to do it'.

Voldemort fired back a flurry of dangerous, dark curses that Lily just managed to deflect with a combination of shields and defensive charms. There were many times that she had to just summon objects into the path of oncoming spells and she was grateful that she could do so effortlessly and unthinkingly. Knowing that she couldn't hope to win with offensive magic of her own she used Voldemort's own attacks against him. However the constant attacks wore her down and whereas Voldemort only had one objective to think about, she had to worry about protecting her children as well.

Soon enough her concentration slipped and Voldemort managed to summon her wand. Flinging it over his shoulder, through the open door and onto the landing, he stepped further into the room. Trapped in a corner, she now had the look of someone very desperate and panicked. She wrapped both her arms around the black haired babe and backed into the cot behind her.

Seeing no need to say anything more, Voldemort prepared to kill her but at the last minute changed his mind and stunned her instead. The damn woman had injured him and for that she should pay. Just like her bloody husband. A cruel smirk tugged at his lips as a plan formed in his head. Yes, the lifeless bodies of her precious twins should cause her sufficient pain. Her and them in a cell for as long as it took for their small frames to decompose, would do it nicely.

But for now he had two small children to worry about. Who to kill first? The brown haired one, Caleb was it, stared at him from the cot, his small hands clutched tightly around the wood. Yes, why not dispose of him first. Just as he made up his mind, he heard a whimper from by his legs. Looking down he saw a mop of hair look up at him, green eyes shimmering at him. The other twin, Harry, struggled to escape his mother's death grip where she still held him even while unconscious. Shaking like a leaf, he crawled over her torso and then with the audacity only a child could have, he grabbed the bottom of his robes and used them to pull himself upright.

A strange sight it must have seemed, the mighty dark lord and the son of the light side hero looking up at him curiously. A strange feeling overtook him, one he later understood to be respect. It was almost like he respected Dumbledore, though without the hatred that went with it. He respected the child in front of him who stood looking at him fearlessly, despite having been thrown across the room just a few minutes earlier. He reminded him of himself, not just in appearance but also in the kind of quiet strength that very few possessed.

He slowly detached himself from the child and stepped back. He nodded slightly to him as a way of acknowledging him and his existence. Pointing his wand at him, he whispered the killing curse. The green light flashed, bathing the room in its green glow. The curse hit the boy right in the middle of the forehead and then without warning it rebounded back hitting Voldemort in the chest. Watching his own curse come back at him, Voldemort was filled with a sense of curiosity and shock. So unexpected was it that he didn't even begin to think about getting out of the way. As the curse hit home, Voldemort was flung onto the floor. His scream was muffled as his soul was thrown out of his body. Hovering above his body for a moment the tainted white matter collected itself and then escaped out of the room.

The force of the curse caused Harry to tumble back over Lily, his exhausted body coming to a rest beside her, his head lying next to the rubble of the cot that had collapsed as a result of the dark energy from Voldemort's wand and the powerful energy from Harry. The lightening bolt cut on his forehead glowed and for a moment he too glowed before both died down. Caleb's wounded crying filled the air, echoing in the small space. In the room below him, his father stirred.

--

The pain in his shoulder was immense, he couldn't remember ever hurting that much before. But somehow he knew that most of the pain was dulled by the feeling of fear that had engulfed him upon his return to consciousness. He pulled himself of the floor, allowing the fear to drive him. Staggering across the room, he stumbled out of the living room almost crashing into the door of the understairs cupboard opposite him. He shuffled crab-like down the hallway until he was standing at the foot of the stairs. He could hear Caleb's cries from there and he collapsed on the bottom step, the last of his energy spent. Lying dishevelled on the stairs, he sobbed as his sons cries came down to him. He couldn't muster up the energy he needed to make it up to the nursery, the relief of knowing that at least one member of his family was alive and the fear that the other two might be dead crippled him leaving him helpless at the foot of the staircase.

A few minutes later the sound of people shouting outside the house came to him, mingling with the screams from upstairs. He looked up to see Dumbledore run into the house, closely followed by Sirius and Remus. Behind them he could see more aurors working to keep the muggles unaware.

Wetting his lips, he managed to make out, 'Peter, Voldemort, Lily, twins' before he groaned and slumped against the stairs once more. Dumbledore nodded in understanding and rushed up the stairs with Sirius. Remus stayed by James and patched him up the best he could. The rest would have to wait until they got to a proper healer.

As Dumbledore walked into the room the overwhelming sense of dark magic washed over him. Walking over to the remains of the cot, he picked up Caleb and passed him over to Sirius noticing as he did so the 'v' shape cut on his chin. When the dark magic from Voldemort had hit the cot the wooded frame Caleb was holding onto had snapped leaving that cut on his chin, but Dumbledore of course didn't know that.

He picked up Harry and enervated Lily. Bending down he helped up the hysterical mother who immediately took Harry and clutched him to her, tears flowing down her face and pooling in Harry's hair. As godfather and mother comforted the twins, Dumbledore took in the destruction around him. He had noticed where Lily didn't, the cut on Harry's forehead and it was apparent to him that their saviour could have been either child.

--

The hospital wing was swamped with people thronging around the injured. The noise of lots of scared and confused people rang around the room until she could no longer concentrate on what she was doing. Her hospital wing was currently full following the Potter and Longbottom attacks along with the numerous deatheater raids that had occurred simultaneously.

It had become clear that Voldemort had ordered all of his forces out on various raids at the same time that he went to Godric's Hollow so that no one would notice or be able to come to their aid. He had apparently thought that following his success at defeating the prophesised child, he could go and support his deatheaters and then in one night topple the ministry in a violent coup. It would have worked as well, it took enough time for anyone to realise the wards around James and Lily had fallen but he hadn't counted on being defeated by the one he had set out to kill.

Sighing in frustration, she held her wand in the air and immediately a loud banging sound echoed through the room, silencing the people in it. She announced firmly and calmly that everyone but patients should leave the hospital wing and make their way downstairs to the Great Hall if they were going to stay. Though they went reluctantly with plenty of muttering they were all intelligent enough to know that now was not the time to stand up to her.

She worked steadily for the next few hours treating and discharging those with relatively small injuries, who were eager to go and help with the chaos outside and sending to St Mungos those with more serious ones. Eventually the only ones left were order members who had to be kept in overnight.

Off the main Hospital Wing was another small corridor that was hidden out of view and that very few people knew was there. In one of the rooms off that corridor was the Longbottom family. Luckily aurors had just managed to make it to their house to stop the deatheaters who were in the process of torturing them. They had needed a large cocktail of potions to heal them but there shouldn't be any lasting damage. Their young child, Neville was completely unharmed. Whether the deatheaters were waiting for their master to arrive or wanted to kill him last they didn't know.

In the room opposite them was the Potter family. James' shoulder had to be popped back into place and various cuts and bruises healed and Lily had only minor injuries so they too were going to be fine. The twins were sleeping peacefully side-by-side in a temporary cot next to them. Remus, Sirius and Dumbledore were with them discussing the night's events.

'Most of the deatheaters have been arrested and taken to temporary prison cells until they can be sentenced. Once Voldemort fell the dark mark on their arms burned and then faded into a scar. They knew their master had fallen and it was easy after that.'

Following a quick explanation, Sirius was cleared of any suspicion of being involved in the Potter's betrayal and an alert had been circulated that Peter Pettigrew was a top priority criminal. They were all still in shock by his treachery and had avoided the subject beyond a few vague words. Right now it was the prophecy that was being discussed.

'So Voldemort's gone then, defeated.'

'If only that were true my boy. I'm afraid I don't think that's the end of him.'

'He's not dead? How can that be, we found his disintegrated body, his wand and his cloak. How can he possibly be alive?'

'Not in body but in mind.' Seeing the confused looks directed at him, Dumbledore explained, 'His soul I believe is still out there. I have known Tom for a long time. He would never have allowed himself to be killed so easily; no he would have taken precautions to ensure his immortality. But that's a conversation for another day, he won't be coming back for quite some time so I think we can all stop worrying, if only for a while.'

'So Caleb is the saviour then, the prophesised one.'

To this Dumbledore did not reply, instead he turned to look pensively at the twins, his brow creased slightly in thought.

'Dumbledore? It is Caleb right?'

Dumbledore sighed, something he seemed to be doing far too much recently.

'Yes, looking at the two I did believe Caleb to be the chosen one. However I always though it would be obvious who it was once Voldemort marked them. The saviour could be announced then.'

'Caleb _is_ marked. He has that 'v' shaped cut on his chin.'

Here Lily butted in, 'But Harry's marked too. He has a lightening bolt on his forehead. And if you ask me that's far more unlikely to happen than a V.'

'Indeed Lily. But then again V for Voldemort makes Caleb's scar just as valid.'

'So you don't know who the chosen one is? We can't have two saviours! If we say both of them are the chosen ones then Voldemort is the only one who knows who the real one is. Can you imagine how much of an advantage that would give him?' Sirius exclaimed in indignation.

'Very true my boy. I did say previously that Caleb is the prophesised one and my decision then was woolly at best. But I must say, looking at all the evidence it does seem far more likely that Caleb is the one. You must understand my hesitation, it would be devastating if we made the wrong decision. And current events have made me far more cautious that I am normally.'

He stood up from his transfigured chair and went over to the cot. Peering into it he studied the twins, the pressure of having to make a decision weighing heavily on him. He was only too aware that this decision would have long-term consequences, that his choice would dictate the lives of these two small children. He muttered to himself, going over all the clues he had received as the other occupants of the room looked on in anxiousness.

'Forgive an old man's ramblings, I was just double-checking. Caleb must be the chosen one, all the clues point his way. We have of course the decisions we came to prior to your going in hiding. Caleb has the more obvious personality and character of a saviour, the charm and outgoingness as opposed to Harry's timidity. And we cannot deny that Caleb was covered in Dark magic whereas Harry had only trace amounts, almost negligible in this situation. And your telling of the events, Lily, does support Caleb. We found Harry right next you and rightly so if you were holding him when you were stunned. Caleb was in the cot, right in Voldemort's line of sight, the obvious target. The cot had collapsed so a strong bit of magic must have hit it, rather like the energy from a killing curse. And as for Harry's lightning bolt cut, well he was lying next to the cot. It would have been easy for a falling piece of wood to make a jagged wound like that. The child wasn't even awake to have opposed Tom. He was unconscious after Tom blasted him out of the way and he was still like that when you were holding him Lily. When we found him he was still unconscious so the only person conscious in that house was Caleb and Tom. And there we have it. Caleb is our saviour, the child fate has chosen to be Voldemort's equal.'

Lily felt James clench her hand tightly and she looked over at him. She had somewhat come to terms with the fact that one of her children was probably going to be the chosen one during their time in hiding. And though she knew it would be a long road for all of them, she couldn't help smiling in relief. Voldemort was dead, his followers were being rounded up, her family were still alive and the light side had won. She couldn't help but be buoyed up by elation at the prospect of a Voldemort free world and pride in her son who was the saviour of the wizarding world, the Boy Who Lived.

--

A/N: Well, I tried to take into account your reviews and general criticisms of all TBWL fics. I tried to show that Dumbledore didn't just make a quick decision on who was the chosen one because I don't think he'd be stupid enough to do that. He's a wise man, who knows better than to do that. It's a major fault in these fics that's always bugged me. This has to be the most overdone scene on this site, so hopefully it's a little bit original. I did my best not to rush it though, as is so often the case.

Did'ya like it?


	3. 77 Feet

Summary: Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived

Summary: Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling…or am I?

A/N: Once again I was astounded by the wonderful response I got from you guys. Thank you so much for all your support!

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 3

77 Feet

--

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently and then sighed dramatically for good effect. Remus, who was standing next to him, rolled his eyes and then stood on Sirius' foot making him yelp.

'Stop tapping,' he hissed out of the side of his mouth. On Sirius' other side, James sniggered. Dumbledore turned around and gave them all a disapproving look, which immediately silenced the three of them.

They were standing in front of a circular gold door, emblazoned on it was the Gaunt family crest. Soon after the fall of Voldemort they had discovered Riddle Manor. Voldemort had been using it as his headquarters and the light were keen to enter it. But it seemed that Voldemort was as possessive in death as he was in life and following his demise the whole place had shut down. Wards that he had spent years putting in place had activated and as a result the town of Little Hangleton had to be subtly evacuated as a squadron of curse breakers and ward specialists worked around the clock to bring them down. Though there had been a large team working at them at all times, it had still taken the best part of two years to finally gain access to the manor and its grounds.

The Manor had been dilapidated and ruined when Voldemort had moved in as a young man fresh out of Hogwarts. Questioning of the muggles in the village revealed that none of them had ever realised that the manor was even used let alone known that it had been returned to its former glory. Ever the vain man, expensive border plants and age-old trees now lined the expansive lawns. Obviously a healthy dose of magic had been used out here as even though no one had attended to it since the place had been shut down, the lawns were still perfectly trimmed to a precise height of 8mm and none of the plants had grown, so that they had still retained their perfect shape and colour. Ornate statues and water features were scattered around the gardens and Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort had used parseltongue magic to ensure that the expanded gardens stayed that way.

The interior of the manor was just as well kept as the outside. Voldemort playing to pureblood standards had lined the hallways and rooms with signs of his wealth. As much of it wasn't his to own, the light were eager to return them to their rightful owners and the Department of Mysteries had shown great interest in examining the collection of dark objects that Voldemort had meticulously built up over the years. There was just one flaw; the manor had extra wards embedded into the actual building to ensure that nothing could be taken out of it. Ward specialists and Ministry wizards were still working on those particular ones.

Following further searching and exploring, aurors had stumbled across a hidden door in Voldemort's study. The narrow corridor on the other side of it was dark and confining, and it lead deep into ground until eventually it levelled out 77 feet under the surface of the earth precisely. It seemed that Voldemort had built this himself and had chosen 77 feet because of its magical properties. No one could trace or discover anything at precisely this point under ground and this fact had caused much excitement, as whatever was hidden down here was sure to be of great importance. The corridor had finished in this circular room, where they were all currently standing.

They had determined that the door in front of them definitely led to the vault but Voldemort had always been a paranoid person and had warded the entrance even more heavily than he had the outside of the manor. That's why three years after they had gained access to the manor and five years after the fall of Voldemort, they had only just reached the final ward. Along with the three marauders and Dumbledore was Master Samoa, the man who had had a mastery in wards for over forty years and was by now easily the leading wards expert in the world.

The final ward was by far the hardest of the lot to overcome but they had been told that it would fall that day. They had been waiting for three hours now in silence and the cold, stale air was getting to them. Sirius' foot appeared to have developed a nervous twitch and had been tapping away for most of that time much to the annoyance of the rest of them. Just as Sirius had begun to turn red with the effort of keeping quiet Master Samoa stood up and stretched, the popping sounds from his bones echoing in the confined space. He stepped to the side so that Dumbledore could peer at the door and the runes engraved in it. Sirius watched this carefully through narrowed eyes. When he realised that the man wasn't going to do anymore he spoke up,

'What that's it?'

Master Samoa turned to look at him and raised his eyebrows, 'Of course that's it. What were you expecting, fireworks?'

'No, but I thought something exciting would happen at least!'

Master Samoa shook his head at him, exasperated and turned back to Dumbledore. Sirius pouted and tried to look offended but failed miserably. He was just too exited to see what was inside the vault. After fidgeting for a few minutes, he realised that they still weren't going anywhere.

'Oh come on, we've been here for hours. Why can't we go in already? I though the last ward just came down?'

'It did,' was all Dumbledore said.

'Then why are we still outside?'

'Because there isn't a handle.'

'Huh?'

Remus chipped in at this point, 'A handle, Sirius. You know, what you use to open doors.'

'I know what a handle is, you dimwit. I meant why isn't there a handle?'

Dumbledore sighed from his position in front of the door. 'It would seem that whatever is in this vault is highly valuable to Voldemort. Even after putting up all of those wards, he still added another defence mechanism. So despite bringing down all the wards we still haven't discovered how to actually open the door.'

The three of them sighed simultaneously. Realising that there was no point in waiting for them to figure it out they turned to leave. As Sirius was leaving he stumbled over a raised stone in the floor.

'Oh you motherf--'

Just as he had begun to speak a low rumbling sound was heard in the underground chamber. They turned around just as the gold door clicked open and swung outwards.

'What did you do, Sirius?'

'I didn't do anything! It must be this stone. I think Voldemort's been watching way too many muggle movies.'

Finally they could see what had been so important to Voldemort he had gone to all this trouble to hide it. The five of them walked into newly revealed vault, the excitement shining in their eyes. The room behind the door was rectangular in shape. Long wooden shelves lined the wall on the side of the door. Looking behind them they saw that dusty books filled them. Dumbledore stroked the dust off the spines reverently. Even though they didn't recognise any of the titles it was obvious that Dumbledore could see the value in them. They turned back around at the sound of Sirius' exclamations.

By Sirius was a low mahogany table. Piled on top were roughly fifteen gold bars, each the size of his forearm. The surfaces of the bars were smooth except for the engravings in the top that they neither recognised nor understood. Dumbledore gasped in surprise as he saw them and they looked at him confused.

'It's goblin gold' he said in explanation. Crouching down by the table he picked one up carefully. 'This is why Voldemort guarded this vault so persistently. None of you have any idea how valuable this is, do you? This, my boys, is first generation goblin gold. The most valuable gold that the first Goblin fathers mined. It's exceptionally rare these days and the Goblins especially hold them in high regard. Sadly, following the first Goblin-Wizard wars most was stolen and the Goblins have very little left. The most recent one that was sold went for almost a billion galleons, and even that was a few decades ago. Voldemort was sitting on a fortune here.'

Sirius whistled softly at this revelation. 'If it's so rare then how did Voldemort come across so many of them?' he asked.

'I suppose we'll never know. He must have stolen it, most likely from an organisation or family that had harboured it for ages.'

'So could we trace who it was then? There can't be many families or groups who have existed from the time of the first Goblins and have managed to keep these away from Goblin eyes for all of that time.'

'We could try, but it would be a lost cause most likely. No one would admit to it out of fear of the Goblins. If the Goblins found out that someone had kept fifteen bars from them for so long, another war would break out. It took a long while to gain some sort of trust between the Goblins and the Wizards, such a thing would be disaster'

'So what are we going to do with these then?'

'Give them back. The Goblins have remained neutral in our war since it began but if they knew that Voldemort was partly responsible for the hiding of these bars then it could turn them in our favour. I doubt they'll ever publicly support the light but it will gain us some sort of respect.'

James turned around as Master Samoa went over to inspect the inner side of the door. As he did so something caught his attention. On the bottom shelf of books, in the furthest corner of the room, five of the books were not level with the rest. Normally he wouldn't have noticed it from this distance but the magical light that filled the room was glinting off it, accenting the difference. Sirius and Remus were still listening to Dumbledore who was now explaining the finer points of the gold bars, so they didn't notice his wavering attention.

He walked over to the shelves and kneeled on the stone bricks. Pulling the books out, he placed them on the floor next to him. Peering into the dark space left behind he could just make out a piece of cloth, tucked up against the back. Reaching in and pulling it out he retrieved a rolled up piece of faded brown fabric. Scrunching his nose up at the dust he had disturbed, he unrolled the cloth. As the fabric fell over his hands, he saw that he was holding a wand. It was old clearly and covered in dust. Strangely enough it wasn't chipped anywhere but the colour had faded and it looked decidedly worse for wear. He bunched the fabric back around the wand and then replaced the books. He was about to go and show Dumbledore his findings when Remus called him over to help them move the gold bars. Deciding that questions could be asked later, he left the wand on the table in the middle of the room. The fact that it was just an old, inconspicuous wand meant that James soon forgot all about it and he therefore didn't notice as Master Samoa slipped it into his pocket.

--

The sound of heavy breathing filled his ears and his lungs burned in his chest. His side ached, the stitch there causing it to throb and tingle. But he carried on regardless, pounding through the forest. His arms flew backwards and forwards by his side as he leaped over fallen logs and ducked under overhanging branches. He could feel his robe whipping around behind him snagging on branches, his momentum causing it to rip and tear. Behind him he could hear Sirius, gasping for air. They had left the forest path ages ago and had by now travelled deep into the forest, the sunlight mere flickers overhead. He strained his eyes to make out the shadowy figure ahead of him. Keeping his eyes on him he chased him mercilessly over the rough terrain, ignoring the growing pain in his body, pushing himself to carry on.

His head started to spin and he grew dizzy, black spots danced in his vision and he knew that he couldn't go much further. Digging deep into himself he collected what little reserves of energy he had left and pushed forward in one last sprint. He sped forward, the tress flying behind him as he closed in on his target. The man in front of him turned and for a split second their eyes met. He could see the fear and panic in them and then he had turned around again. He saw him stumble over a tree root and he swerved to the side. Ahead of them he could just make out the disappearing ground. Ahead of them was some sort of ravine filled with fallen leaves. The man jumped into the ravine and anticipating this action, he leapt forward meeting him in midair. His momentum caused them to both fly through the air and they landed heavily in the leaves, the ground punching the air out of them. He saw Sirius jump down to join them and he left it to him to stun the man.

They collapsed on the ground, gasping as they tried to suck in oxygen into their empty lungs. He squeezed his eyes shut as waves of dizziness washed over him. His stomach groaned in protest and his head felt constricted, almost like the giant squid was squeezing it in between two of its enormous tentacles. It was a strange feeling, his head felt like it weighed fifty tonnes but his body was floating on air, like a feather. They lay there for a few minutes trying to return to normal.

Standing up, he stood still for a few moments to let the swaying in his head stop. Walking over to their captive he flipped him over onto his back. On the man's neck was a strange tattoo, as James tilted his head it seemed to change colour. It looked like lots of intertwining strings and it disappeared under the collar of the man's shirt. But what was most distinctive about the man were the scars on his face. Under each of his eyes were vertical scars that it made it seem like he was perpetually crying. Crouching down by him, he riffled through his pockets. Relief soared through him as he pulled out the stole gold bar.

'Got it, Sirius.'

'Good thing too, 'cos if we'd chased him all the way through that bloody forest for nothing I'd have screamed.'

James chucked the bar to Sirius so that he could carefully place it in a bag. Searching through the man's pockets again he pulled out a circular tube. Prising open the top, James pulled out a faded brown cloth. Recognising the material, he shook it open to find the old wand nestled in the middle.

'What on earth is that?' James looked up to see Sirius standing above him, peering down at the wand, his confusion obvious.

'A wand, it's from Voldemort's vault. I found it hidden behind a few books in the bookshelf. I was going to show it to Dumbledore but we were moving the gold bars then and I forgot about it. I left it on the table though, so Samoa must've taken it.'

'Who'd have thought, eh? He must have been working with this guy all along. Lucky he'd only managed to take one bar otherwise we'd be in even more trouble. Who knows what else he managed to pilfer from the manor.'

'Yeah, guess the temptation of getting a cut of a billion galleons was too great for him. Wonder why he took this though, far as I can see it's just a normal wand. Old and dusty, probably broken but nothing special.'

'Hmm, show it to Dumbledore, he might know something about it. No need to write it up, the ministry won't care about some tatty old wand.'

'Will do. Guess we should get this guy back now, Moody will be getting lonely otherwise all alone in that interrogation room.' They grinned at each other. Serves him right for stealing that gold bar and making them chase him for miles.

--

'Mu-hum' Caleb whined, 'Come play with me.'

''Sweetheart, I'm busy right now. Why don't you go and ask Harry to play with you?'

'He's reading, AGAIN' Caleb huffed, rolling his eyes in a perfect imitation of his Uncle Moony. Harry was always reading, _all the time_. If mum didn't insist they were twins, then he'd have never thought so. Harry was so quiet and boring. He didn't like talking or playing or meeting people. He didn't even like Quidditch. Honestly! How weird do you have to be to not like Quidditch?

Harry was a very weird person, but mum said that he wasn't allowed to call Harry weird so he just told people that Harry was different. And then everyone _ahhed _and said that he must love having a twin. Like they knew anything. Different didn't even _begin_ to describe Harry. Not that they'd ever know anyway. Harry was very shy. Very, very, very, a million trillion verys, shy. The only people he ever talked to were mum, dad, him, uncle moony, uncle padfoot, grandma, grandpa, uncle Albus and aunt Minnie, and Snape.

He pulled a face at the mention of Snape. Dad always said that Snape was a slimy git. But never in front of mum, 'cos then mum got angry and wouldn't talk to dad for ages. But when mum wasn't around, dad and uncle padfoot would tell him stories about when they were in school. About all the pranks they pulled on Snape and the Slytherins. When he went to Hogwarts, he was going to be just like them! He grinned at the thought and shook his legs excitedly. In five years time, his Hogwarts letter would come and the newest marauder would hit Hogwarts!

He was thinking about all the cool things he could do at Hogwarts when he smelled something from the kitchen. Sniffing the air around him, he immediately recognised the smell of chocolate cookies. Leaping from his seat by the fireplace, he ran out of the room and to the kitchens. Woohoo! Chocolate cookies were the best things ever. Running into the kitchens, he slid to a stop by the table. Lily shook her head at her sons antics and went over to the kettle to make them all some tea. Isaac, their house elf, brought over a plate of warm cookies fresh from the oven and put them in front of Caleb, who was bouncing in his seat with happiness.

'Caleb, do you know where Harry is?'

'In his room last time I checked,' he mumbled back around a mouthful of cookie.

'Is Alfie with him?'

'Yep'

Lily wiped her hands on the tea towel and then went over to the door into the hallway.

'Harry! Come down for your tea, we've made cookies! Bring Alfie with you.'

A few minutes later and Harry still hadn't appeared, so Lily went up to his room to bring him down. Traipsing down the hallways she followed the white chalk line on the walls that James had drawn as a joke to guide them to Harry's room. When the twins had become too old for the nursery, they had given them their own bedrooms in the main wing. Caleb had quickly chosen the largest free one available but Harry being Harry had gone all the way to the furthest corner of the manor, where no one ever went. He had chosen the room right in the corner, at the top. It rather resembled a penthouse, with its large bay windows across two of the walls and in the corner there was a door that led out onto the roof above the room.

Lily knocked on the door and peered around it when no one answered. Harry was lying on his bed, deeply engrossed in a book but as soon as he saw her he snapped it shut and placed face down with the spine away from her so that she couldn't see what the title was. She smiled at him pleased that one of her children loved reading like she did. Next to Harry on the bed was Alfie, their youngest child. He was two now, four years younger than Caleb and Harry. The two of them had taken very different approaches to their younger brother, whereas Caleb thought he was intrusive, Harry adored him and spent as much time as he could with him. And for that they were glad, Harry was always a very private, reserved person and finally he was socialising and interacting with another child. She went over to the bed and picked up a gurgling Alfie and placed him on her hip.

'Tea time?' Harry asked, his head cocked to the side.

'Yep and we made cookies, so come on down while they're still hot'.

She made to leave, when Harry made a soft noise. She turned around to see him standing on the edge of the bed, his arms out motioning for her to pick him up as well. She smiled and lifted him off the bed, placing him on her free hip. She always loved carrying Harry. Caleb had reached the stage where he wanted to act grown up and with the media always hovering around he was eager to be seen acting like an adult, so now he never let any one carry him and Lily was glad that Harry had no such hang-ups.

By the time they had reached the kitchen, James, Sirius and Remus had already arrived along with Dumbledore. They were sitting around the kitchen table and on Caleb's arm was a magnificent owl. It was brown, the same shade as Caleb's eyes and his feathers were tinted with gold.

'Mum look what uncle Albus got me! An owl!' Caleb turned bright eyes to her, grinning from ear to ear.

'An owl, Dumbledore?' She gave Dumbledore a sceptical look.

'Why not Lily. He'll learn some responsibility in caring for an animal and get a companion out it as well. And he needs an owl for Hogwarts anyway, even if that is a few years still.'

Lily still looked sceptical but as Caleb seemed to be so happy she didn't push it. She gave Alfie to James and Harry leaped into Remus' arms as soon as he was close enough.

'Hello little Harry. How are you today?'

'Fine, uncle Albus' Harry replied quietly, still looking at the owl.

'Excellent, excellent! Well, now that you're here I can give you your present as well.'

Harry turned to him, his mouth slightly open. He sat up straighter on Remus' lap trying to see under the table where Dumbledore was reaching into a cardboard box. His eyes widened as Dumbledore lifted a small puppy and leaned back as he then carefully placed it into his lap. He giggled as it squirmed around getting comfortable and when it stopped moving he gently placed an arm around it and stroked its small head. The puppy was a mongrel, dark red in colour and had short soft fur. He continued to stroke it with rapt attention and Lily knew that she could never persuade Dumbledore to take it back. If anything, Harry could do with a companion.

'You should name it, Harry. Caleb's already decided to call his owl Hoot,' she winced at the name as she said it but who could argue with a six year old?

Harry was quiet for a moment, a look of contemplation on his face. 'Tiger,' he said at last.

'Tiger it is then. Why don't you two go and ask Isaac to help you find a place for them to sleep.'

Caleb immediately jumped off his chair and ran over to Isaac, his arm lifted at an odd angle to keep Hoot level. Harry followed at a more sedate pace after he had carefully climbed off Remus. Alfie joined them, not wanting to be left behind

'So I take it you caught the thief then?' Lily inquired of her husband and Sirius, once the children had passed out of earshot.

'Yeah, we had to chase him for miles first but then James tackled him into a ravine, so it was all good.'

'Oh talking about that, I was meaning to ask you Albus. What do you think of this?'

James reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the wooden tube, passing it across the table.

'I found it in his pocket and I recognised it because I remember finding it in Voldemort's vault. It was hidden in the bookshelf, in that cloth and I left it on the table to show you but Samoa took it when I wasn't looking. I was thinking maybe there's something special about it because otherwise why would he bother taking it.'

Dumbledore held up the wand to the light so that he could inspect it.

'Just looks like an ordinary wand to me. Maybe the only reason he took it was because it's probably not traceable by the ministry. I can't imagine why Voldemort would hide it like that though so maybe there is something to it. I tell you what I'll take it with me and get back to you later.'

He put the wand back into the tube and tucked it into his robes.

'So what'll happen to the guy we caught then? Him and Samoa.' Sirius asked.

'They're both at the ministry right now, I suspect that they'll be charged with theft. Though I am pressing for them to get harsher punishments than they would normally. There seems to be a bit of hold up though. Master Samoa is a respected wizard and the man you caught with the bar, Dexter, has friends in high places. We don't really know anything about him, he's a very mysterious man.'

'But he will be charged right? He should be punished for making me blow a gut chasing him through a forest. I had to throw away my robes because they were ripped beyond repair!'

'I will do my best to make sure they receive some form of punishment. If only to improve our standing with the Goblins.'

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when Harry came running back to them, a bottle of milk in one hand and Tiger held carefully in the other. Settling on Dumbledore's lap, he proceeded to fire questions at him whilst feeding his new pet.

--

A/N: So there'll be one more chapter when they're at this age and then I'll probably skip to the arrival of their Hogwarts letters. It means you won't hear about their childhood but you'll pick it up later on. I was going to write about them growing up but I figured that it'd be too boring.

A lot of people have mentioned how they prefer having the twins treated equally, so you'll be glad to know that no, Harry won't be horribly abused and neglected because let's face it, that's not realistic.

So that aside, what do you think?


	4. A Toy Wand

Summary: Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…or do I?

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:** I am going on holiday for two months in a few days from now. I don't know if I will be able to post another chapter before then and I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to update at all while I'm away. That said I will do my best to write as many chapters as I can ready for when I come back. This is just so that you won't think I have abandoned this story or anything like that. I'd advise you to add this story to your story alert list if you haven't already done so. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added me to an alert or favourites list, you've all been fantastically supportive of me and this story!

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 4

A Toy Wand

--

'Harry, Harry! Come, look at this!'

Harry turned from where he was sitting on the stairs. His twin was running at him full pelt down the corridor. When he reached him, he stopped and shoved a wand in front of Harry.

'Look, Uncle Albus gave me a wand!'

'A wand? A real wand you can do magic with?' Harry replied, peering at the wand intently.

'Yep. Uncle Albus said it wasn't a real real wand because I'd have to wait until Hogwarts for that but it's a toy wand, you know like a toy broom. I can do magic with it and all but only the easy stuff.'

'Is that what you were talking about with him?'

'Yeah!' Caleb's face shone with excitement. 'Uncle Albus is gonna train me! He said that because I was the boy who lived I would need to start training earlier so that I could be strong and powerful! One day I'm gonna be just as powerful as Uncle Albus! I'm going to show mum and dad my new wand. Coming?'

Harry shook his head mutely and watched as his brother ran down the corridor, until he disappeared from view. For the first time he was insanely jealous of his twin. He wanted a wand as well and he wanted to learn how to do magic. He knew that Uncle Albus was the most powerful wizard in the world and he wanted him to train him too. Then an idea struck him; Uncle Albus was still in the living room. He could easily just go and ask him. He stood up quickly and shot off down the hall towards the living room. He skidded to a halt in front of the door and listening intently for a while to make sure no one else was there, he pushed it open and went in. He spotted him sitting by the coffee table, reading one of mum's muggle magazines.

'Uncle Albus!' He ran towards him and jumped up next to him on the sofa.

'Hello little Harry. How are you?'

'Fine.' Harry gave him a wide smile and bounced up and down on his seat.

'Excellent, excellent. Well I just heard that your mother made meatballs and I must say I'm dying to have some. Why don't we head down to the kitchens and see what we can get our hands on, eh?'

'Okay. But Uncle Albus, can I ask you a question first?'

'Of course you can, my boy. Ask away.'

Harry licked his lips, suddenly nervous. 'Erm, well it's about you and how you're training Caleb in magic.'

'Ahh yes. Told you about that already has he? Quite the excitable brother you've got there.'

'Uh-huh. Well I was wondering, if you could train me too?' He blurted the last part out quickly to make sure he didn't bottle it. Staring intently at his uncle, he watched as he sighed and folded his hands in his laps.

'Oh Harry.' He closed his eyes for a second before looking away into the fire.

'Please!' Said Harry, sensing that this was the time to really beg. 'I promise I'll be really good and try really hard. Honest! And I won't get in the way or anything.'

'Harry, I'm sorry, I really am. But I can't.'

'Why not?' Harry asked feeling indignant at this response.

'Harry, as much as I would love to train you I cannot possibly do so. You see, I don't normally train anyone, but Caleb is special. Not that you're not special either' he added hastily seeing the look on Harry's face. 'I mean Caleb is the boy who lived, after all. He is destined to fight Voldemort in the future, to fight the dark and all the evil in the world. Your brother has a great weight to carry; everyone is looking to him to guide them. He needs training early to make sure that he can rise to his destiny.'

He sighed again seeing the look of intense disappointment on Harry's face.

'But I'm just as strong as him, I know I am! I read way more books and I know all about magic. Mum said that I even started doing accidental magic before him. I can be just as powerful as him I know I can. I can be _more _powerful than him.'

'Harry, I've no doubt that you will turn out to be a very fine wizard someday but this is not your destiny. Caleb is the chosen one and Voldemort has marked him. He has been gifted with some extraordinary powers by fate so that he can fight Voldemort.' He laid a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. 'You need not be ashamed that he is stronger than you. Caleb is a very powerful child, be glad that you have a brother as strong as him. He needs this training, but you don't Harry. You will be fine without it. Just read your books and when you come to Hogwarts ready to start learning magic you'll be prepared.'

Harry hung his head, trying to stop his eyes from watering. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't! It hurt Dumbledore to refuse the child like this. He didn't lie when he said that Harry would become a fine wizard. Even now he could see that there was immense potential within the child to do great things but he knew he was doing the right thing. He just couldn't afford to train the both of them. Caleb needed this head start not Harry and he had to focus all of his energies on him.

Harry sniffed quietly before looking up to stare at the top of his beard. 'Can you at least get me a wand like Caleb's? I can try practising on my own then.'

'No Harry, I'm afraid not. Wands like that are not easy to come by. One has to make sure that it is limited in what it can do and make sure that it won't harm a child's growing magic. And it is very difficult to get a wand that won't bond to the child like a normal wand but will still work effectively. The one I gave to Caleb was one I had to get made especially for him and I must admit it took a while. And anyway, it would be very irresponsible of me to give you a wand if I wasn't going to train you. You're still very young, doing magic without training or supervision can be very dangerous. You will just have to wait a few more years until Hogwarts.'

Harry's shoulders sagged and he scratched at the sofa in disappointment. 'You understand my reasons, don't you Harry? If it could be any other way then I would eagerly train you.'

Harry nodded his head. He did understand really, but it didn't stop him from feeling upset.

'So these meatballs. I should think Lily would've finished making them by now, let's go and find out shall we?' Harry nodded again and took Dumbledore's hand. Together they went down to the kitchens to eat their dinner.

Throughout the meal, Harry was silent as he listened to Caleb go on and on about his new wand and training. He didn't begrudge his brother at all. He didn't envy him either. He knew that in the future he would have to fight Voldemort and be everyone's hero. Caleb was excited now but he wouldn't be this happy forever. As much as he wished he were the one getting the training and a wand, he had always known that he would never want to be his brother. He would have hated it, if he had known that he had no say in his future. Caleb's path was already laid out for him; he knew where to go and what to do. But that wasn't such a good thing. At least he could do anything he wanted with his life, he was free. That thought took edge off his misery, and anyway he could always train himself. Whatever anyone said he knew deep down that he was stronger than Caleb. Boy who lived or not, he would show everyone who really was the most powerful twin.

--

Dinner had just finished and Caleb and Harry had been sent upstairs to get ready for bed. James, Lily and Dumbledore were sitting around the table with a cup of tea in their hands, discussing the wand from Voldemort's underground vault.

'As far as I can see there is nothing special about this wand, James. I've tested it for everything and found nothing. I've tried using it myself and I must say it's been a struggle. It's very unresponsive and sluggish. Getting any spells to work takes real effort and from what you've told me, James, it doesn't work for you either. In fact this wand hasn't even been used for years.'

'Then why on earth would Voldemort keep it if it's just a musty old wand?'

'I have no idea. I suppose you can never really understand how the mind of a dark lord works and for what reasons Tom kept this wand secreted away we will never know. He certainly never used it often; lack of use and general neglect has meant that it's probably broken now. The magic of the wand itself has either been lost or become very unwieldy.'

'So we just throw it away?'

'Probably the best thing for it, it's hardly going to be useful for anything else. I wasn't able to ask Ollivander to check it, he's very busy recently but I hardly think it's worth the bother.'

James picked up the wand, throwing it up and down a few times. When they decided that they should move to the living room to discuss Caleb's training, he threw it onto the sideboard. Someone could throw it away later. The wand hit the table and rolled shakily to the edge. The neck of the wand hung in the air for a few seconds before the weight of it caused the whole thing to tumble off onto the floor and eventually it came to a rest hidden discretely behind one of the stout legs of the sideboard. It wasn't noticed by anyone for days.

--

It had been two weeks since Dumbledore had begun Caleb's training. Everyday he would come to the manor and for a few hours he would take Caleb into the drawing room and there he would instruct him on magic. Caleb's initial enthusiasm had dulled slightly when he realised how much time this would take up and how much hard work it would be. He was after all only six and the strain of casting spells, however small they might be, meant he was exhausted after every session. The afternoons were usually spent with his parents where they had begun to teach him the theory behind magic and the introductory knowledge he needed before he began first year lessons.

Caleb made good progress and it impressed everyone to no end that a six year old boy could do as much as Caleb could. His success at his lessons had everyone raving about how talented he was and they had no doubt that was destined to be Voldemort's equal. As far as they knew Caleb was the most prodigious child around. They of course had no idea just how talented Harry was.

Following Dumbledore's refusal to teach him magic, Harry was determined to show everyone how good he was. Little did anyone know that Harry was exceptionally bright. He could read anything once and then remember it forever and complex concepts and ideas came easily to him. Where Caleb was good, Harry was excellent. He didn't know it now but he was to find out later that his IQ was off the charts. His inherent quietness and introverted nature meant that he preferred reading alone in the Potter library where vast resources were available to him.

When he was three, Lily had seen his potential and had taught him how to read and write. Every night while James was telling Caleb a great adventure story, she would read him a bedtime story. Even now they would still read together every night even though Harry could easily read by himself and was far ahead of the standard that they were reading at. He didn't want to tell his mum how well he could read because if he did he was scared his mum would stop reading to him and he didn't want that.

After he had learned how to read he had devoured all the fiction books in the manor eagerly, always wanting more. In no time at all he had moved onto non-fiction. Over the years between then and now, he had progressed to a level where he was studying at the age of an eleven year old. And not just in the magical subjects but the muggle ones too. When he had first found some of his mum's books from her primary school he had loved them. The things that wizards never even thought about were fascinating to him. Isaac had readily agreed to help him and had managed to buy more books on the muggle subjects he loved. He had no idea how he had done it and Isaac would never tell him.

His determination to prove Dumbledore wrong drove him to study harder than ever. His parents never noticed how he was spending more and more time reading but he figured that what with Caleb's training and all they probably thought he was playing by himself or with Alfie. Often he would hide behind the door where Uncle Albus and Caleb were training and listen in on them. He already knew the things that Caleb was being taught but there were always some things you could never learn from a book. The helpful tips that Uncle Albus gave were useful and helped him to hone his own technique.

However there was always one recurring flaw. He didn't have a wand. Studying magic was hard without a wand and even though he knew he could do things wandlessly it wasn't the same thing. When he first started learning magic he had tried to take one of his parents' wands while they weren't looking to practice with but after he was very nearly caught he had decided it was too risky. He had been pondering this problem when the thought had come to him to try magic without a wand. He had always known that it was impossible to do magic without a wand but it was almost as if someone had spoken to him and told him to try it. It was very hard and it had taken him a long time and hours of practice before he was able to actually try any magic. But after he had gotten the hang of it, he had pushed himself further and further.

Learning that he could do wandless magic brought up a new discovery. At first it had scared the hell out of him and it had taken a while to get used to it but after he had, he had discovered that it was rather nice having someone you could always talk to. Because that's what the discovery was; a voice in his head. He had thought he was imagining it, dreaming surely. But after the voice refused to disappear he just accepted it. The voice understood him, knew him even. And whatever it was, it was certainly clever. It would teach him things, help him with his studies when he was stuck or confused.

He had tried to tell his mum but she thought he was just playing around, pretending that he had a voice in his head telling him to do stuff. It wasn't her fault really, Caleb had had an imaginary friend called Kyle for ages and he'd out grown it after a while so she probably thought it was something like that as well. He never tried to tell her about the voice again. He had decided he didn't want to anyway, what if they tried to take it away? He didn't want to lose his voice, it was his first real friend.

Right now he was downstairs on the porch by the front door. He was playing with Tiger, who was getting bigger now. He looked up when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was Uncle Albus coming for Caleb's lesson. He smiled at him and waved as he came nearer.

'Hello little Harry.' Harry smiled at the term, Uncle Albus always called him little Harry, even though he wasn't much smaller than Caleb, and now everyone called him that.

'Lo Uncle Albus.'

'I see Tiger's grown a lot.'

'Yep' Harry said, nodding. 'It's because of all the milk he drinks, it makes him grow loads.'

Dumbledore smiled at him and leant down to pat Tiger on the head. 'Well, I'm glad to hear it. Maybe you should drink more milk then as well, you could do with some growing.'

Harry pouted at that. 'I'm not _that_ small you know.'

'No, no you're not. There's still plenty of time for growing. Let's go inside then shall we; it's getting nippy out here.'

Harry led Dumbledore indoors, carrying Tiger in his arms. As they approached the staircase, James and Lily came down to meet them.

'Morning Albus, Caleb's in the living room waiting for us. Hey Harry, why don't you go help Isaac make lunch? Your dad and I are going to be with Albus and Caleb all morning.'

'All morning?'

'Yes sweetie. I'm sorry we can't play with you but I promise after lunch we can make cookies together, okay?' Lily asked, worried that her son might be upset that they were spending all that time together without him.

Harry cocked his head to the side, considering this proposal. He knew that even if he didn't like it there was nothing he could do but he still wanted to seem as if he had some say in it.

'Kay then. But only if they're chocolate and cinnamon flavoured ones.'

'Sure. Off you go then and be careful!' She shouted at his retreating back.

Harry waited until they had all disappeared into the living room before backtracking and crouching outside the door. He strained to hear what was going on and made out Uncle Albus' voice, explaining a spell to Caleb. He waited a few moments to make sure they were going to stay there before running quickly to his bedroom. Shutting the door he went to crouch down beside his bed. Bending down he pulled out a small shoebox from its hiding position and opened it. Inside was an assortment of various pieces of junk that he had seen fit to hold onto and underneath it all was an old dusty wand. He pulled it out eagerly and jumped onto the bed.

He had first noticed the wand at breakfast a few days ago. It had been hidden underneath the sideboard in the kitchen, out of view. Except from the seat he was in where he could just make it out. As soon as everyone had left the room he had quickly tucked it into his sleeve and ran up to his room before anyone saw him. He hid it under his bed so that no one saw it and had ran back downstairs when he heard his mother call him. Until now he had not gotten a chance to examine it further. He knew he could only do so when he was sure no one would interrupt him, he didn't want to imaging how angry his parents would be if they found him with a wand.

He clenched it in his hand, eager to get started with his spell work.

'_You're holding it wrong,'_ he heard the voice comment in his head.

Frowning at his grip he adjusted it as the voice instructed him to. Flipping open the book next to him on the bed, he decided he'd like to start with the easy spells first. Just to get used to using a wand. Nibbling at his bottom lip, he settled on the levitation charm. Holding the wand in front of him, he carefully intoned the words 'Wingardium Leviosa' moving the wand accordingly as he did so. Nothing happened. Shrugging it off, he tried again. And again and again. And again. Still nothing happened. Scowling now, he dropped the wand onto the bed and tried it wandlessly, watching as the book rose up off the bed.

What's wrong with this wand? he thought. For several minutes he repeated the spell, getting steadily more frustrated as he went on. But the book refused to budge. Discouraged by this failure, he threw the wand onto the bed and rested his chin in his palms.

'What am I doing wrong?' he asked the voice.

'_You don't want it enough_,' was the reply he got.

'What?'

'_You can't just say the words and expect it to happen; you've got to feel it. Pick up the wand and close your eyes_.'

Harry did as he was told, holding the wand in front of him once more. Listening to the voice, he concentrated on his magic. He could feel it inside of him. A huge well of it in his chest bubbling and crackling, and ebbing like the tide, filling him up with its strength. Tendrils flowed from it to rest of his body, flowing though his blood and whispering in his ear. It was just under his skin, going from the tips of his fingers right down to his toes. It felt like electricity and it made him strong, giving him power and control. There was nothing else like it.

Breathing gently, he imagined in his mind the book floating. Keeping his eyes closed, he allowed his magic to flow in him and repeated the spell. The wand grew hot in his hand and he could feel his own magic getting excited. Squeezing his grip he forced it to do what he wanted. The wand seemed to fight back, shuddering against him but he refused to give up. His magic grew and it burned in his arm and then he felt it change. There was a tingling in his hand and it spread up his arm like wildfire calming his magic. His whole right side felt like it was on fire but it didn't hurt. The wand's magic flowed into him and his flowed into it. The magic mingled and fused, and a feeling of elation overcame him. Opening his eyes, he saw the book hovering above his head. An invisible wind in the room blew around him, shaking the bedcovers and ruffling his hair. He let it settle down before slowly allowing the book to float back down onto the bed.

'_See what I mean_'

Harry grinned in excitement and started flipping through the book again. He wanted to try every spell!

He spent the rest of the time until lunch practising the spells in the book. Though that same feeling never returned, it grew easier and easier to use the wand. The harder spells were still a great struggle and casting any spell felt like a battle with the wand, but these would get easier with time and practise.

--

The cameras flashed from every angle, the bright lights making his eyes hurt and the shouts of the photographers echoing in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut in nervousness and turned to his mother who was sitting beside him. He buried his face in her shoulder and didn't move when she lifted him onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him protectively.

It was Halloween night and they were in Hogsmeade. They being the Potter family, Sirius and Remus and the Longbottoms. It was exactly five years ago today that Voldemort was killed by Caleb Potter and his reign ended. They had gone out for dinner to celebrate this and the press were taking photos and shouting questions at them before desert came and they had to back off.

Caleb, the centre of all of this media attention, was lapping it all up, enjoying the moment. Harry on the other hand hated it. A naturally shy person, having all of these shouting people around him made him anxious and scared. Lily rubbed small circles on his back to calm him down, knowing how much he disliked crowds. Harry shivered slightly as the mob got closer and the noise exponentially louder. He was saved however with the arrival of the cake but not for long. As soon as the waiter had left they leapt forward again, wanting a good picture for the morning edition that was to be plastered with this story.

Feeling claustrophobic now, panic made his head go dizzy and he pushed himself away from his mother with shaky arms. Mumbling about wanting to use the toilet, he slipped away from the group and ran to a quiet corner of the restaurant, hiding behind the waiters' counter. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he rested his aching head on his knees and exhaled heavily. Finally, he got away from there! He had felt like he was about to be sick but now that he was on his own again, the feeling subsided.

He slipped his hand into his jacket and stroked the blemished wood of his wand. He had spent a long time, almost a day, cleaning and polishing his wand. Though it looked better now, it still seemed to be a bit tacky. The wand was as straight as it could be, but the wood would never be smooth. It was rough and bumpy in places and had a matt, dull look to it. Once the dust had gone he could see the faint engravings on it, etched into the wand and curling around it like intertwining vines. The wand reassured him, the feel of its magic calming his panic. It was a risk he knew, bringing it with him but his voice had insisted that he take it.

He was holding onto his wand, feeling the magic in it when he heard an enormous explosion from behind him. Eyes widening, he jumped out from behind the counter to look back at the seating area. People were screaming loudly and hysterically as deatheaters poured into the restaurant. Their black cloaks swayed behind them, their white skull masks glinting in the artificial restaurant light. Photographers and patrons fled from the restaurant but the deatheaters didn't seem too concerned by this. Harry walked forward towards the low counter that separated the seating area from the edge of the restaurant. His family and uncles had their wands out now and were fighting the deatheaters but there were so many of them. He could see his mum defending herself from a deatheater but in the melee he couldn't spot Caleb.

He knew that that's why they were here, to get at Caleb. He shivered at the fighting, hoping that his family would be okay. Preoccupied as he was he didn't notice a deatheater sneak up on him. Suddenly a shadow fell across him and before he could do anything, someone grabbed him across the middle and covered his mouth to stop him from screaming. He struggled against the man, kicking and biting in a bid to free himself, but it was hopeless, he was just too small to do anything.

James fought off another pair of deatheaters, firing off as many hexes and curses as he could. He wished Dumbledore was here but the headmaster had been busy and couldn't make it. As he stunned the two if front of him, he searched around wildly for Caleb. Swinging his head around he spotted him in front of their table but then he saw something that made his blood run cold.

Standing in front of his son was a man he recognised easily. He was wearing no mask and he had his wand pointed at Caleb, a malicious smirk on his face and a crazed look in his eyes. Under his eyes were vertical scars that made him look as if he was crying; on his neck was a tattoo of vines, disappearing under his collar. Dexter! The man they had caught in the woods with a stolen bar of gold just weeks ago. He had escaped from ministry captivity only a few days ago.

Caleb's eyes were wide and he had a look of utter fear on his face, his lower lip trembling. Dexter began to say something and as Caleb turned away from the vicious man in front of him, time seemed to slow down. Slowly Dexter began to lean forward, his wand preparing to attack. Caleb's eyes began to close and his arms came up to his face.

Over in the darkness of the edge of the restaurant, outside the seating area, Harry continued to struggle with his captor. He managed to free his arm and thrust it into his jacket grabbing a hold of the wand he had stowed there. He didn't know which spell to use, he just thought about what he wanted to happen and allowing his voice to guide him, he let his magic flow into the wand. Out of the corner of his eye, Dexter glimpsed the wand in Harry's hand and shock registered on his face. Harry swung his arm upwards and imposing his will on the wand, the magic erupted from it and with a sudden bang every deatheater and attacker in the restaurant was thrown backwards, landing in an unconscious heap on the floor.

Collapsing on the floor, Harry breathed heavily, his hair falling in his eyes. The strain of the magic he had just done tugged at him. There was no sound in the room but the stunned silence of the remaining few. Not for long though as soon people started crying and the noise escalated again. Harry heard his mother calling for him and he tucked his wand back into his pocket quickly. Running over to her, he jumped into her arms and let her crush him in a bone-breaking hug. Tears streaming down her face Lily sobbed as she held her son tight. Next to her James held Caleb and he joined them in a big hug.

--

The papers the next day screamed its headlines, proclaiming Caleb as a miraculous hero. Those who were there testified that Caleb had wandlessly thrown away all the deatheaters in the room. Caleb for his part didn't know what to make of it. He hadn't felt anything and he didn't think he had actually done anything. He knew what doing magic felt like and he hadn't felt anything. But no one asked him what happened and they all insisted that he had done some powerful magic to save himself. He didn't bother trying to refute it, he supposed that it must have been different because he had done it wandlessly and the fear and adrenaline of the moment meant he could barely remember the details of the incident anyway.

The deatheaters had been rounded up and quickly sent to Azkaban, following swift trials. Dexter, deemed to be very dangerous and mentally unstable, was put in a high security Azkaban cell destined to spend the rest of his, probably short, life there.

Harry remained silent throughout all of the subsequent events. He was glad that people thought it was Caleb, if not they might think it was actually he who did it. He didn't want them to know about his wand, he knew it would be taken away otherwise and he couldn't bear to think about losing it now. Caleb was the perfect scapegoat and now that no one suspected that it might not be him, he was in the clear.

Relieved that his secret wouldn't be found out, he enjoyed the time he had with his family. Soon though Caleb begun his training again and he resumed his studying in earnest. The whole incident had shown him how prepared he had to be and he was determined to make sure that if it happened again he would be ready to defend himself.

--

A/N: This is the last chapter of their childhood, so the next one will be Hogwarts letters and Diagon Alley!

I hope Harry hasn't come across as being unrealistically clever in this chapter. I don't want him to be all powerful just because he can be but remember he is a genius and that's why he's so clever. I'm not just making it up either. What I have got to back me up is a documentary I saw about a group of child genius and there was an eight year old who was learning maths a normal sixteen year old would. That's why I said Harry was studying at the age of an eleven year old, not any older because he is learning a variety of different subjects. So that's my reasoning for Harry's intelligence. I'm just telling you now that he will be insanely clever and by the time he goes to Hogwarts he'll have probably finished the seventh year syllabus and that will have come about because of lots of hard work on his part.

Ok, the original summaries all said that Harry was unintentionally ignored by his parents because that was how the story was going to go. But i got loads of reviews and comments by people who wanted them to be treated equally, so i've changed the summaries to go along with that. They will be treated equally and Harry won't hate his family.

Drop me a line and tell me what you think!


	5. Falling Snakes and Brother Wands

**Summary:** Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

**Disclaimer:** I own Harry Potter and I'm going to sue the lot of you for copyright infringement.

**A/N: **A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me to their author alert list, story alert list, favourites list and added this fic to their C2. I'm honoured that you like it and it's been a great motivation for me.

A big thanks also to my new beta, **Kaeim**, whose wonderful help and advice has proved invaluable.

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 5

_Falling Snakes and Brother Wands_

--

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. - Homer Simpson

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together. - Unknown

--

James woke when he felt the rays of sunlight on his face. He could've sworn he'd closed the curtains before he went to bed but somehow it was open now. He sighed trying to recall the dream he'd had, fidgeting around to get comfortable. He knew he should probably get up now but he felt particularly lazy today. He turned over to face Lily and sputtered when he got a mouthful of her hair. Wrinkling up his nose and coughing he opened his eyes to face the ceiling. He lay there for a few minutes when a feeling of being watched overcame him. He frowned in confusion, the feeling growing as he became more aware. He suddenly sat up in the bed and jumped piercing through him.

Harry never said anything but continued to stare at him, stroking Tiger who was lying on the bed in front of him. James smiled at him and quickly nudged Lily to wake her up. His son was a strange one that was for sure. If it had been Caleb, he would've been jumping up and down on his bed shouting at them to wake up. But no, Harry would open the curtains and wait patiently. Lily turned over and saw Harry as well. Muttering a 'morning' to him she opened her arms, motioning for Harry to come and give her a hug. He ran over to her and jumped up into her hug. He mumbled into her shoulder that breakfast was ready. Grinning at their son's antics, they went to go and pick Caleb up, before going down to breakfast together.

Breakfast began as breakfast normally did at the Potter household. Between mouthfuls Caleb kept up a continuous stream of chatter, while Harry used this distraction to subtly slip Tiger food from his plate. Caleb was excitedly talking about his last lesson with Uncle Albus when he suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence, his mouth still slightly open. James and Lily turned to follow his line-of-sight and peering through the kitchen window they saw an odd shaped blob in the distance.

'You know, that looks suspiciously like an owl,' commented James, squinting in order to see better.

Caleb scrambled out of his seat and promptly tripped up over his own shoelaces. Jumping up off the floor, too excited to be embarrassed, he ran to window and threw it open, the glass panes banging off the wall. Waving his arms madly in the air, he beckoned the owl over. Soaring in, the handsome tawny owl landed on the back of Caleb's now vacant seat. Affixed to its leg were two thick parchment envelopes, the green ink clearly visible on the front.

Caleb whooped with delight and ran back to his chair to grab his letter, much to the disgruntlement of the owl. Ripping it open, he took all off two seconds to take in its message before screaming wildly and throwing his arms into the air, he took off round the kitchen in a mad celebration dance. His screams of, 'I got into Hogwarts, I got into Hogwarts!' were joined by James' and together they did the conga around the table.

Through all of this Harry hadn't even looked up, seemingly not interested in the arrival of his own letter, preferring instead to concentrate on his breakfast. Taking his letter to him, Lily sat down next to her younger-eldest son and gave it to him. Seeing that he was still not interested, she shrugged and opened it for him. She read it quickly and smiled with pride, giving him a sideways hug. James paused for a moment to ruffle Harry's hair and give him a kiss on the forehead before going back to his dance.

'We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, kay sweetie?' Lily asked.

Harry looked up to nod at her and then went back to eating. Smiling fondly, she went to go and calm her husband and other-eldest son, before major damage ensued.

--

The next morning brought a hive of activity to Potter Manor. Having got wind of their hero's Hogwarts invitation, the press had arrived _en masse_ to capture his first trip for school supplies. They bustled around the family, generally getting in the way and shouting questions at everyone in the family. Finally tired of the disturbance Lily herded the entire group out of the house with explicit instructions that unless they left immediately a quick and painful punishment would be imminent.

In the living room a bored Harry sat on the couch waiting for his twin to come downstairs. He had been ready ages ago but Lily had insisted that they wouldn't leave the manor until Caleb was looking his best, this was after all his first trip to the alley as a student and she didn't want him to look bad in front of the media. The ten minutes before they left was spent going over the rules for their visit and it was only then that they were allowed to take a handful of floo powder each and, in turn, throw it into the fire and floo to Diagon Alley.

As soon as they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, they were assaulted by the ensembled mass of media and adoring public. Harry did his best to hide behind his mother as they posed for the photographers and made sure that, as they edged their way over to the exit, he was sandwiched in between his family and hidden out of view.

Once they stepped through the entrance into the Alley, they quickly took advantage of the sudden lack of people in front of them and sped off towards Gringotts before the crowd still in the pub could overtake them and slow them down.

Once in the bank, they were safe from the masses and as a group they approached the nearest free teller.

'Here to access the Potter Family Vault.' James announced imperiously.

The goblin peered at him from behind the counter and sniffed lightly at his tone.

'Your key?' he replied.

James pulled a small golden key out of his pocket and slid it over to the goblin. Picking it up, the goblin inspected it in the light, twirling it around his long fingers. Sniffing once more he called over another goblin by the name of Griphook, and tipped his head to the Potters indicating that they were to follow him. Remus and Sirius stayed behind to hand over their own keys as the Potters were led through a door and into a cart stamped with the Gringotts insignia on the side.

Caleb hung on tightly to the sides of the cart as he tried to catch a glimpse of the floor of the cavern they were trundling through. As they swept past a corner, a flash of flames had Caleb leaning perilously out of the cart and James made a quick grab at his collar to stop the wizarding world from losing their saviour due to a freak accident.

After a while they began to go deeper and deeper underground, the air was stifling now and rather chilly as well. The hue of the caverns had darkened and only artificial goblin light let them see anything. As they sped onwards towards their destination, the cold air slammed into them causing them all to shiver, except for the goblin in front who was apparently unaffected. Quite a while later, they stopped in front of an empty stretch of wall, apart from that is the gold vault door emblazoned with the Potter family shield and motto. Griphook immediately jumped out of the cart leaving the rest of them to follow at a more sedate pace. Stepping in front of the door, the Potters couldn't see what he was doing but not a moment later the door swung open to reveal the innards of the vault.

Mountains of gold, silver and bronze stood in front of them, some small, some big. The coins glinted at them in the light, blinding them as they watched. Small paths led from the door weaving around the coins, leading deeper into the vault to treasures unknown. Caleb grinned and ran into the room, jumping on the nearest pile of galleons and laughing as they fell down around him. Lily shot him a disapproving look before going to fill a money bag that had suddenly appeared in her hand. Caleb had always loved coming down to the vault for as long as he could remember, here he could _see _their status. Everything in this room symbolised the Potters importance, the wealth he was going to inherit. Laughing to himself he rolled around in the gold, making angels where he lay. Harry sighed at him and leaned against the doorframe, resting his head against the metal, warm as it was from the magic that held it together.

If he had his way, he wouldn't be here at all. He hated shopping, but if he was honest with himself he hated the attention more than anything else. He'd rather be at home right now, reading a book or practicing with his wand. As he thought about his wand, he reached in and stroked the wood in his pocket. Five years had past since he'd first found it under the sideboard. He'd practised diligently with it, spells, hexes, curses, charms, he'd tried them all. And even now, using it wasn't easy. True, the only other experience he had was of using his parents wands occasionally but even from that he could see that magic was never meant to be that hard to cast. Still, he hadn't managed to find out a reason for that and his voice was suspiciously silent when he tried to broach this subject. Going to Ollivanders was going to be a problem, one he had been thinking of for a while now. Frowning to himself he followed his parents back into the cart, pondering over what he was going to do.

The sunlight attacked them as soon as they left the bank, the heat causing the hairs on their arms to flatten in response. It wasn't long before they were following Lily in and out of shops. Muttering lightly to herself and checking the list repeatedly, she insisted that they all stayed with her, making sure that she had a firm eye on her husband, eldest-elder son and his godfather as she said this. She didn't put it past them to subtly distract her and then sneak off to the Quidditch store. In the first hour they managed to buy all of their robes and clothes, quills, ink, parchment, other odds and ends and trunks. After a quick stop for ice-cream, she had them all back out in the sunlight again, this time heading for Flourish & Botts for their school books.

The bookstore was filled with people when they got there. Mostly they were Hogwarts students shopping for the new school year so it was not easy by any means to get in, especially when they saw who they were. Disgruntled by the sudden flock of people around them, Harry shook his mother's arm from his position beside her.

'Mum, can I get my books on my own?'

Lily, knowing that the crowd wasn't going to relent anytime soon, agreed and handed him a small pouch of money. Once Harry was away from the crowds and hidden behind a secluded bookshelf, he peeked in the moneybag and saw a handful of galleons. More than enough to cover his course books and leave enough for a bit of additional material. Now that most of the patrons of the store were gravitating towards his brother, it didn't take long for Harry to collect all of the books on the list. Looking over at the crowd around his family, he saw that he had a while yet before he had to leave.

Looking for new books posed a problem. From what his parents had told him, the Hogwarts library had thousands on loads of different subjects. And then there were the Black and Potter Family libraries, so that meant he had to make sure that whatever he bought wasn't going to be in any of those. His thoughts led him over to the Dark Arts section of the bookstore.

For as long as he could remember his parents had hated the Dark Arts and everything associated with it. In fact everyone in his family and all of their family friends hated the Dark Arts too. Sometimes he told himself that he hated it just as much as they did but deep down he knew he was different. He was curious about all kinds of magic and his thirst to prove himself meant he didn't want to just ignore a large part of it like that. He knew that the Black Family Library had loads of books on the dark arts; in fact most of the stuff in there was on that, but curious as he was he could never gain access to any of them.

From what he was told, they were all protected by ancient spells cast by the elders of the family, long since deceased. The Black library used to be the envy of the lands but it was common knowledge that there were many who detested it. He didn't know what it meant exactly but it appeared that only those who were already dark or on the path to darkness and whose only intention with the books there was to gain knowledge from them, were able to gain access. The spells had done an admirable job of making sure his godfather, Dumbledore and anyone else from the light side willing to have a go, weren't able to destroy them. They had finally agreed just to leave them be and so the Dark Arts books remained untouched. It was the only consolation that the rest of the Black Family had, that the precious collection of books were unattainable by the new owners of the ancestral home.

The books in the Potter Family Library only contained the mildest of dark arts, if they could even be called that, they were after all a notoriously light family. When he was certain that no one could find out, Harry had tried a few and the power surge was amazing. Even then he could tell that this kind of magic was different. Using spells like these made him feel so alive, so powerful and he hated that he loved it. He would tell himself over and over that the Dark Arts were bad and evil, repeating things he'd heard from his parents and uncles but just as soon he'd be doing it again. He couldn't help himself, really he couldn't and the guilt that he felt from doing it was nigh unbearable. He could just imagine his parents' faces if they found out and the image battled constantly with him. He probably would have stopped a long time ago if his voice hadn't been there. It did a wonderful job of assuaging his guilt, convincing him that he wasn't evil merely curious. So with a gentle prod from it, he began to browse through the titles around him.

There was nothing that extreme here, understandably. The ministry would never condone selling dangerous books in such a public store but still it had been a decade since the downfall of the Dark Lord so the owners didn't mind taking a mild risk and putting a few of the less hardcore books out there. There were a number of books that caught Harry's eyes, namely those that were for beginners. Knowing that he still had to find a way to buy them without attracting suspicion he quickly picked up a few of the introductory titles and some that progressed from there. He did after all have a whole year to read these and he didn't want to get bored. Peering out from the side of the bookshelf he did a quick check on his family. They were still held up at the entrance of the store but not by fans; instead they were in a conflict with the Malfoys, who by the sight of things had only just turned up.

Leaning on the corner of the bookshelf, Harry quickly divided his extra books from his course ones and put them into a different basket. Without even turning his head he said,

'There's no point trying to sneak up on me, Draco.'

'Christ, Harry! How did you even know I was there?'

Harry rolled his eyes at the ceiling and turned to face his friend. He'd known Draco for awhile now, having met up at various competitions and conventions. He'd first met him a chess tournament where Harry had beaten him in a tense final. Being the only two of their age and from the UK, they ended up staying together for most of the time and a friendship had grown from there. Harry was glad that he did have a friend in Draco, sometimes he felt that Draco just understood him better than Caleb or anyone else did.

Caleb was always going on about Quidditch and his lessons with Uncle Albus. That was still a moot point for him, even though it had been a long while now since they had started and even though he was way ahead of him anyway, there was still a very small part of him that was jealous of the attention his brother got from his uncles and parents. For all the effort his parents put into making sure they treated them equally they still spent a large chunk of everyday with Caleb, locked up in a room he wasn't allowed to enter. As much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't stop the slightly bitter feeling this brought up in him. He loved his family, all of them, but no one could deny that he'd been drifting away from them. With all his secret studying, it just felt like his parents didn't know him anymore.

Pausing his thoughts for a second, he handed over the basket with his Dark Arts books to Draco. Draco's father, Lucius, was well into the darker side of magic and Harry knew that Draco was learning it himself. In fact Draco often let him borrow some of his books and Harry was grateful for it. He knew that Lucius was the one who had sent him those Dark Arts books for his birthday and Christmas these last few years, but Harry wasn't stupid either. He knew that Lucius only did it for the thrill of trying to turn the son of such a firmly light family over to the dark side, right under the nose of his parents and Lucius' enemies. Harry didn't think he was dark but Lucius would love to try and make him so. He opened up the pouch and gave Draco enough money to cover the expenses.

'Draco, I need you to buy these books for me,' he said as he was handing over the coins. This was the easiest way of getting the books without attracting any attention from the shopkeeper or his family. Draco raised his eyebrows at the titles he could see but refrained from commenting further.

'Catch up with me on the Hogwarts Express, I'll give it to you then.'

Draco knew that Harry didn't want to risk trying and taking them home now. It would be easy to hand them over away from prying eyes. At least then Harry had the rest of the year to find a way of hiding them. Draco had no doubt that his father wouldn't mind buying them for Harry. Anything to aid his future path into darkness. At the moment Draco knew that Harry was only reading this stuff because he was curious. He didn't think it would be easy for Harry to turn away from the ideals of his family and he didn't think Harry would admit to being Dark anytime soon either.

They chatted for a little while, hidden behind the bookcase where their friendship wouldn't be discovered, but as soon as Harry heard his mum calling him he knew he should hurry. He wouldn't want her to look for him and find him here of all places. Saying a quick goodbye to Draco he ran off to try and hide the fact that he was in that section at all. It didn't work quite as well as he had planned, for his mum saw exactly where he came from.

'What were you doing over there, Harry?' She asked, frowning down at him. Harry shuffled his feet and tried to look bashful.

'Hiding,' he said from under his fringe. Lily accepted that lie without argument, he was after all infamous in his family for being shy of large crowds and Lily didn't suspect that he'd have been doing anything other than waiting for his family in the least crowded section of the store. They managed to pay for their purchases quickly and get out of there before they were held up again.

Their next destination was the most important one of their trip, Ollivander's. Caleb had been waiting for this part ever since he had first got his Hogwarts letter. Heck, he'd been waiting for it ever since he'd gotten that toy wand when he was six. The whole world probably knew how excited he was about getting a new wand. As they were approaching the store, Caleb turned to Harry.

'Hey Harry, aren't you excited about getting a wand?'

'Of course I am. Don't know why you are though, you've had one since you were six.'

'That's not the same thing. That was just a toy wand. This is a real wand that you can keep for ever and cast all sorts of spells with. A toy wand has limitations, didn't you know?'

Harry just shrugged as they entered the wand store; he wasn't really keen on telling Caleb how much he knew. There was no one there upon their arrival and the sound of the bell tinkled through the room, dampened somewhat by the layers of dust that had settled on all available surfaces. Thin, narrow boxes filled all the shelves with no apparent system to them, but Ollivander probably knew what they were even if no one else did. Ollivander came out of a back room as soon as they entered, peering at them through his glasses.

'Ah, Mr Potter, I've been waiting for you. For quite a while now.'

Harry immediately decided that this man was downright creepy. He had a stare that made you feel like you were being stripped down to just your soul. No one knew which Mr Potter he was talking about when he said that and he didn't elaborate further.

'Mahogany, 11 inches, pliable and excellent for transfiguration, isn't that right?' James nodded, as Ollivander continued, looking at Lily now. 'Willow, 10 ¼ inches, swishy and good for charms work, no?' Lily nodded her acquiescence.

Ollivander turned his stare onto the twins. He said nothing and continued to examine them and it was only as Caleb began to shuffle around, that he said, 'we'll begin with you then shall we, Mr Caleb Potter?'

Caleb gulped under his stare but stepped up to the counter. For the next thirty minutes Ollivander handed him wand after wand of various lengths and cores, but to no avail. Finally after another failure, Ollivander stared at him for a moment before heading to the back of the room to search in one of the dustier looking boxes that were over there. He came back a moment later holding just one wand and muttering under his breath. He handed it to Caleb without a word and watched him keenly. However nothing happened and this only served to make Ollivander even more secretive.

He took the wand back and placed it on the till before continuing his search. It was obvious that the wand interested the man but no one was willing to ask. Fifteen minutes later and Caleb Potter was the proud owner of a 10 inch redwood wand with a core of phoenix feather. James had obviously been warned about this, but on his questioning they were informed that it wasn't a feather from Fawkes.

Next it was Harry's turn. He'd been thinking about this for a while and initially he had planned on sneaking his wand to Ollivander and just buying it back. However after further thought, he had decided against it. He didn't want to take the risk, who knew what Ollivander might do? He might as well have two wands anyway; he might need another one in a duel or a fight and it was better to be prepared. And besides, he knew his wand was special; he'd need another to hide behind.

He stepped up to the counter and Ollivander started handing him wands. It looked like he was heading in the same direction as Caleb because none of them produced any reaction. However twenty minutes in, Ollivander paused for thought before he took the wand that he'd left on the till and handed it to Harry, again without a word. The moment Harry touched it he knew that it was the right one. Holding it felt so right, like it belonged to him and only him. A warm feeling spread through him and green sparks flew out of the end of his new wand. Ollivander watched him intently, his eyes flickering up to the lightening bolt scare on his forehead. He never said a word as he took the wand back and went to start packing that and Caleb's one.

'It is very curious that you should have that wand, Mr Potter.'

'Why what's curious about it?' James asked, puzzled by Ollivander's actions and words.

'Many believed that that wand should belong to Mr Caleb Potter over there. It is strange that it should go to his twin and not him.'

'Why should the wand belong to Caleb and not Harry?'

'Not should, Mr Potter. A wand should not belong to anyone. However it was thought that this particular wand was destined for Mr Caleb Potter. It seems they were wrong, maybe in more ways than one.'

'Why? What is this wand anyway? You haven't told us that yet.'

'Why this wand is the brother to You-Know-Who's'

Silence met Ollivander's statement, their words stolen by the shock that came from hearing it. Ollivander took the opportunity to continue.

'The wand core's feather comes from the same phoenix that donated a feather to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's wand. The phoenix was Fawkes.' Ollivander seemed to be deep in thought as he boxed the new wands, 'Caleb Potter was the one who defeated the Dark Lord a decade past. He was the one marked by him. It is very curious that you, Mr Potter, should have this wand, very curious indeed.'

Ollivander paused from his wrapping to stare at Harry once more. 'It must be remembered that Voldemort did great things with his wand. Terrible indeed but great nonetheless. Maybe we should expect great things from you Harry Potter.'

Harry stared at his packaged wand blackly, his mind racing with what he had just heard. James came up to the till to pay for the wand never looking at his son. Ollivander didn't say anything more about the matter and watched them as they left, especially at the boy who had just surprised a lot of people with his new wand.

They left the shop silently and as they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron for lunch no one said anything. The hustle and bustle of the pub meant that no one disturbed them as they entered, allowing them to get a quiet corner seat that was out of the way and discrete. Lily and James left to go and inform Sirius and Remus, who had just entered after them, of what had just happened leaving Harry and Caleb by themselves.

Harry stared at the table unseeingly as his mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Caleb turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

'So what was that all about?' Harry jumped, having not expected him to ask anything.

'I don't know. I don't know anything, I'm just as confused as you are.'

'That was meant to be my wand!' Suddenly Harry knew what Caleb was talking about. He knew what his brother had thought had just happened.

'Caleb, the wand chooses the owner not the other way round. You tried that wand before I did and nothing happened. The wand chose me!'

'I'm the boy-who-lived, I should have the wand with a feather from Fawkes. I defeated Voldemort, not you, why should you get the wand?'

'Caleb, I already told, I don't know.'

Caleb's face darkened with anger and jealousy. He leant over to Harry, his fists clenched in his lap.

'Stop trying to steal my glory!'

'Caleb! I'm not trying to steal your glory. I don't want your glory, you can keep it. It's not my fault I was chosen by that wand!'

'That wand should belong to me. I'm the Chosen One.'

'I didn't ask for it! That's what I was given; you can't blame me for it.'

'I'm the hero here not you. Just because you have his brother wand, it doesn't mean you'll be great. I'm more powerful than you, I know more magic than you. You're just a rookie; I'm already on my way to being a wonderful wizard! One day, I'll kill Voldemort once and for all. Don't you get it? You'll always be in my shadow, stupid wand or not!'

Caleb broke off as he saw their parents and uncles coming back, both boys acting like nothing had happened. The adults sensed the heavy tension around the twins but never said anything. They ate their meal in near silence, talking only about irrelevant things. No one mention what happened in Ollivander's again even though it was at the front of everyone's minds.

--

They'd finished all of their shopping now and all that was left was getting a pet. Caleb already had his owl, Hoot and Harry his dog, Tiger but since Caleb would have to wait another year to get a broom, his parents had decided that another familiar would make a sufficient congratulations present for the both of them.

The Magical Menagerie was, thankfully, pretty much empty. Cages lined the walls, stacked up haphazardly but magic probably kept it from all collapsing. The ceilings were unusually high and the space dank and dark. James, Harry and Caleb crowded into the area just before the counter looking around rather warily. Who knew what might jump on them? Lily and Remus had gone off elsewhere to gain some materials for teaching next year. Remus had been offered a post at a smaller magical school in England whilst Lily and James had both been offered posts at Hogwarts. Lily was going to be teaching Ancient Runes and James, Quidditch and Duelling to the older years.

The shop was empty when they walked in and no one appeared while they were waiting. Caleb had by now wandered off to examine a bunch of curious looking cats lined up on the far wall. James was leaning over the counter, pressing the little brass bell that's always on shop counters, repeatedly. The cages of snakes on the back wall interested Harry, but he didn't want to push his luck what with the Dark Arts studying and all. Along with his newly discovered wand problem he didn't feel like risking it.

He'd discovered a few years back that he was a parcelmouth and had since then steadfastly refused to go anywhere near a snake for fear of being found out. It wasn't that he had a problem with snakes, in fact he quite liked them, it was just that he didn't want anyone to think that he was even remotely dark and having one would just be tempting fate. It was inevitable that someone found out about his ability to speak to them and he'd do anything to make sure that didn't happen.

It happened just as he turned around to face his father again. He heard a loud crack above him and looking up all he saw was a blur of colour, mainly green, before he was lying on his back on the floor. His glasses were askew on his face and he couldn't really see much but he could hear his father's shouting. There was a heavy dead weight on his chest and it felt like he was being squeezed tightly. He struggled to get up and was eternally grateful when his dad hoisted him up off the floor. He didn't need to look down to know that something bad had happened.

The heavy weight turned out to be a snake. Harry had never taken the time to learn about snakes so he couldn't say which kind it was, but it was about six foot and was a dazzling shade of emerald green, exactly like his eyes. The three of them backed away from it and it was then that the shop owner chose to make his entrance. He took one look at the fallen snake and said,

'That'd be 5 galleons, Mister.'

'What!' James replied, having not expected that at all.

'If it's broken, consider it sold.'

'The snake isn't broken and it's not our fault that it fell either.'

'I wasn't here, for all I know you spelled that cage open. Now give me my five galleons.'

James sputtered at him, whilst Harry experienced a sinking feeling in his stomach. This wasn't going to end well, was it? James turned to look at Harry, a panicked look on his face as Harry looked back helplessly. He didn't want this snake! It took a good ten minutes of arguing before James caved and paid for the creature. This left the three of them with a whole new problem. Who was going to look after it?

Caleb had already chosen a magical cat which, strangely enough, had wings. When his father turned to him, he knew there was no point in arguing. They would never force a snake on the boy-who-lived. He already had the brother wand to that of the evilest Dark Lord of their time; he couldn't ruin his image anymore. With a sigh he conceded and took the snake, knowing that he'd just have to make doubly sure that no one ever found out. They made a hasty retreat from the menagerie only to come face to face with Lily as soon as they were out of the door.

'Why in Merlin's name have you got a snake with you?!'

--

**A/N:** Wow, this chapter took ages to write. I found this quite hard, really, there isn't a lot of new, original stuff you can do with this part and it kinda bugged me. I hope this hasn't turned out just like every Diagon Alley shopping trip out there. It'll take a few more chapters before I can squeeze in anything unique, so stick around. I'm trying to make everything that happens as original as I can, so bear with me. You'll have to wait until the later years for anything really original to happen but, trust me, it's worth the wait.

So what did you think?


	6. Just An Afterthought

**Summary:** Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

**Disclaimer:** I own Harry Potter and I'm going to sue the lot of you for copyright infringement.

**A/N: **A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me to their author alert list, story alert list, favourites list and added this fic to their C2. You've all been so wonderful and I'm eternally grateful for your fantastic support!

A big thanks also to my beta, **Kaeim**, whose wonderful help and advice has proved invaluable.

--

Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 6

_Just An Afterthought_

--

Cheer up, the worst is yet to come. – Philander Johnson

Always be who you are. Those who matter don't care and those who care don't matter. – Bernard Baruch

--

Caleb Potter could easily claim to be the most popular or at least the most famous person in the whole of Wizarding Britain. He was their saviour, their hope, their hero and the public adored him for it. As such, his life was avidly followed by the masses and key moments in his, admittedly short, existence were eagerly celebrated by everyone. The start of his wizarding education at one of the finest magical schools in the entire world was definitely one of these milestones.

It was the day before they left for Hogwarts and downstairs a party was being held in honour of Caleb. Reporters and photographers milled around in the large room asking questions and taking pictures. Harry, who was infamous in his family for his vehement dislike of all things public, had avoided the room like the plague and had spent the day holed up in his bedroom until it was safe for him to leave.

Sirius, noticing the lull in activity concerning him, took the opportunity to sneak out of the room and up to his godson's bedroom. Though the rest of the public were happy enough to ignore his godson he wasn't and he wanted to make sure that Harry knew that he was just as proud of him as he was of Caleb. The manor was empty outside of the party room and so Sirius was undisturbed as he absently followed the chalk line on the wall. Pausing outside the bedroom door, he knocked twice before peeking around the corner.

Harry's bedroom, as usual, was spotlessly clean. The books on the shelves were carefully stacked and arranged, using the Dewey system if one were to look closer. Sirius had never understood the concept of the muggle book ordering system but he was assured by his godson that it was an excellent way to organise one's library.

Tiger was dozing on the window seat with Harry's new snake Caedo wrapped around him, the warm sunlight streaming in. Harry was sitting on his bed reading a book but as soon as saw him he closed it and tucked it by his side. Harry smiled at Sirius as he sat down on the bed.

'Already reading ahead, eh?' Sirius asked, motioning towards the closed book.

'Huh? Oh this, yeah, there's no harm in being prepared.' Harry shrugged nonchalantly, there was no need for him to know that it was actually a NEWT level Ancient Runes book he was reading.

Harry picked at stray wool on his duvet as a slightly awkward silence filled the room. Sirius stared at his godson, studying him closely before deciding to speak.

'Harry, about the wand -'

'It's meant to be Caleb's. I get it.'

Harry was still rather bitter over the whole thing. Whereas the adults were wise enough to know that it was hardly Harry's fault he had received the brother wand, Caleb was neither mature nor sensible enough to realise this. Needless to say, relationships between the brothers were strained.

'I wasn't going to say that.'

Harry looked up at Sirius sharply.

'Look Harry, we all know that the wand chose you. Just because he's the Boy-Who-Lived it doesn't mean it was meant to belong to him.'

'That's not how Caleb sees it.'

'Caleb is being an idiot about this and it's about time he sorts out his priorities. Look Harry, for as long as he can remember he's been famous, idolised for something he has no recollection of. All he knows is that people look up to him, expecting him to be their saviour.'

'Yeah, well I don't see him complaining. He loves being famous.'

'Of course he does, wouldn't you if you were him? Anyone would love being famous, especially if it's for something that doesn't require any effort to maintain. Caleb will be famous for the rest of his life, whatever he does. The way he sees it, you're trying to steal some of that attention away from him.'

'But I'm not! I don't want his attention, in fact I hate attention.'

'Harry, it's not about what you want, it's about what he thinks you want. He has always been in the spotlight and he doesn't want to start sharing it now.'

'But he doesn't even know what it means to have a brother wand to the Dark Lord. It could be a terrible thing, maybe he's lucky not to have it.'

'I admit Harry that no one is really sure what this means. For all we know, Caleb could be better off not being linked to him through wands. Merlin knows, wands are important enough, who knows what kinds of complications could arise in the future? Especially if Caleb is going to be fighting against Voldemort and his forces.'

'Then why doesn't anyone tell Caleb that? Then he can stop thinking that I'm trying to steal his fame.'

'You have to remember Harry that Caleb is only eleven. He's too young to understand the trappings of fame, too young to know the negative sides to being the Chosen One. Logic isn't going to convince him that you're not trying to steal his fame. All he knows is that everyone is interested in him and that he gets loads of presents and attention and he doesn't want that to end.'

'There doesn't seem to be any negative sides from where I am.' Even as Harry said this, he knew it was a lie.

'Really, Harry? Maybe there isn't any now, I'll grant you that, but wait until you're both a bit older. Caleb's future is already laid out before him, everyone in the wizarding world will be waiting for him to defeat Voldemort. Don't you think that's a whole lot of pressure for someone who's just eleven?'

Harry nodded mutely, he couldn't argue with that.

'When Caleb grows up, he'll learn that being the Chosen One is more a curse than a blessing. It'll take time but he'll realise eventually that he should probably be envious of you.'

'Ha, as if! Why would Caleb be envious of me? He loves being a celebrity.'

'Whatever you think, Harry, you're lucky that you're not the Chosen One. You're free to do whatever you want with your life, if you want this war can have nothing to do with you.'

'It's just that Caleb keeps going on about how he's the one marked by Voldemort, how he should have the wand connected to him.'

Sirius paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

'Even you must admit, Harry, that it is curious that it should be you who received the wand and not him.'

Harry jerked his head towards Sirius's face, eyes narrowing at this statement.

'What do you mean?'

Sirius shook his head. 'No one thinks you were in any way involved with what happened that night, it's just strange that you, someone who was completely irrelevant to the whole thing, should receive Voldemort's brother wand.'

'Caleb thinks that it's because I'm a dark wizard.'

'And as I said earlier, Caleb is being an idiot. No one is dark because of their wand, it doesn't work like that.'

'Then how does it work?' Harry was curious about what it took to be a dark or light wizard. Would studying the Dark Arts make him dark?

'You're dark through the choices you make, Harry and the decision is completely up to you. It depends on how you live your life, which side of the war you choose.'

'So that means I'm a light wizard then, because I'm a Potter?'

'Harry if family is what made you light or dark, then I'd be as dark as they came. The Blacks have been a dark family for as long as they were around. Everyone thought I'd be a dark wizard too, that I'd go to Slytherin and join Voldemort like I was supposed to.'

'But you didn't.' Sirius had never talked about his family and his pre-Hogwarts days and Harry had never known much about what made him who he was today.

'No I didn't. I chose Gryffindor instead and met your father and Remus.'

'And your family didn't object?'

'Object? They were furious, insisted that I be resorted and threatened to pull me out of Hogwarts if I didn't. Thought I was a disgrace, bringing shame to the whole family. Whatever anyone says about the Blacks, they were a proud lot and me being sorted into Gryffindor was somewhat humiliating for them, a dishonour in their eyes. When they realised that I wouldn't change my mind, they disowned me and blasted me off the family tree.'

'Didn't you miss them though?'

'I'm not going to lie and say it was easy Harry, because it wasn't. Whatever happened I loved my family. But I couldn't be who they wanted me to be. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life enslaved to Voldemort; I'd have hated it if I followed the path they wanted me to. I'd rather be disowned than spend the rest of my life doing something I hated. In the end, losing my family was a small sacrifice I had to pay in order to gain something far greater.'

'What was that?'

'Freedom. I'd spent my whole life up till then moulded into being the perfect heir. I was told how to do everything, from what to wear to how to think. I can't describe how amazing it is, knowing that you can do whatever you want because it's what you want to do. To make your own choices in life.'

Harry stared down at his hands contemplating what Sirius had just said.

'Sirius?'

'Hmm.'

'What if I'm not in Gryffindor?'

'It doesn't matter what house you're in, Harry. You'll go into the house that'll suit you the most.'

'Mum and Dad'll be so disappointed if I didn't end up in the same house as them'

'Of course not, Harry. Your parents would be happy whichever house you get sorted into. They're your parents.' Sirius sighed, 'Look Harry, don't feel that you have to go to a certain house just to make your parents proud. I didn't and it turned out to be the best decision of my life. Go where you want to; don't worry what James and Lily will think. They'll love you regardless.'

Harry nodded in understanding, and Sirius ruffled his hair fondly. A moment later, Sirius jumped up off the bed.

'Well, lunch must be ready now, let's go down before we're too late.'

'You go, Uncle Sirius, I'll catch up with you.'

Sirius nodded and turned to leave the room. He paused at the door and took one more look at Harry before leaving. As soon as he was gone, Harry slumped down on his bed, letting his head hit the pillow with a thump. Despite the serious issues they'd talked about, Sirius didn't understand the undertones of the conversation. Their situations were so similar yet in totally different ways. And after all of that, he still didn't know what he was going to do.

--

Approaching 11 O'clock, platform 9 ¾ became almost unbearably busy. Steam blew from the Hogwarts Express covering the ceiling in a layer of dense smoke. Parents and students alike crowded the area, saying their goodbyes before their departure for another school year. This year however was worse than ever due to Caleb Potter's arrival.

In the middle of the platform stood two adults and three children. The media, having got their fill of photos, had respectfully backed away so that the Potters could say their goodbye. Remus and Sirius had taken the twins' trunks and pets onto the train to get them a compartment.

Lily sniffed loudly before quickly drawing them into a hug, sobbing as she held them.

'Mum! Get a grip!' Caleb whispered frantically. 'You're teaching at Hogwarts this year, why are you crying?'

'Oh you won't understand, Caleb. I can't believe my babies are all grown up now, leaving for Hogwarts already. Time has flown so quickly.' She sobbed again before pulling them back into the hug.

Luckily James quickly rescued them from their mother. He coughed nervously, not really knowing what to say. He settled for telling them how proud they'd be of them no matter what and how they should always do their best. He then pulled them into a brief manly hug, releasing them as Remus and Sirius returned.

Remus pulled Harry into a hug of his own, patting him on the back as he did so.

'I have great hopes for you Harry. You're a smart kid, I've no doubt that you'll do brilliantly at Hogwarts.'

Harry smiled up at his Uncle before turning to his godfather. Sirius immediately gave him a big bear hug, his head lowered to Harry's ear. Quietly he whispered to him,

'Remember what I said, Harry. Choose your own path in life not someone else's.'

Sirius stepped back and smiled proudly down at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Alfie crying quietly. He turned and kneeled in front of his younger brother.

'Don't cry Alfie, I promise to write as soon as I can.'

Alfie sniffled quietly as his bottom lip quivered. He still had four years to go before he would arrive at Hogwarts. It was decided that he would stay with his grandparents while the rest of the family were in Scotland.

Harry opened his arms and Alfie jumped into the hug, burying his head into his brother's shoulder. Leaving Alfie was going to be one of the hardest things to do. Over the years Harry had gotten even closer to him, closer than Caleb and him. Caleb's endless training meant that for hours on end, they would be alone with just each other and a strong bond had developed between the two.

When the whistle blew, indicating the train's imminent departure, Harry gave one last squeeze and released Alfie. Smiling at the rest of his family he joined Caleb as they ran onto the train. As the train pulled out of the station, the two of them leant out of the window waving to their family as they disappeared around the corner. Harry had a feeling that nothing was ever going to be the same again, that this was the end of an era, a chapter in their lives. He just didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

They pulled themselves back into the train and closed the window before heading off to find their seats.

Closing their compartment door they sat down opposite each other and avoided each others gazes. Their relationship still wasn't back to normal and they preferred the awkward silence to any attempt at conversation. However it didn't take Caleb long to become restless, having never been one for silent contemplation.

'So, know which house you'll be in?'

Harry shrugged at him, he didn't really want to reveal his suspicions to his brother right now.

'I'll be in Gryffindor, obviously. There's no question of that. All the heroes are in Gryffindor. Maybe you'll be in Ravenclaw?'

'Yeah, maybe.'

'You're the bookish type anyway, you'll probably end up there.'

Harry nodded uncaringly; it didn't really matter to him what his brother thought. Their silence was punctuated by the opening of their compartment door and a red-headed boy stepped in.

'You don't mind me sitting here do you? The rest of the compartments are full.'

Caleb quickly shook his head and slid over to give him room. The boy smiled gratefully and sat down next to him. Tucking his hands under his legs, he turned to Caleb and stared at him curiously. A moment later realisation seemed to dawn and his jaw dropped slightly.

'Hang on a second, you're Caleb Potter, aren't you?'

Caleb nodded with a grin, pointing to his scar.

'Cool!'

The boy seemed to be transfixed at the sight of him, a look of awe plastered across his face. He promptly stuck out his hand.

'I'm Ronald Weasley. Call me Ron though, only my mother calls me Ronald.'

Caleb shook his hand as Ron turned to face Harry.

'Who are you then?' He asked, a tad rudely but he didn't seem to notice or care.

'Harry, Harry Potter.' He replied.

Ron's face was the picture of confusion for a moment as he tried to comprehend what that meant.

'He's my brother, my twin.' Caleb explained.

'Your twin? Blimey, I had no idea the Boy-Who-Lived had a twin.'

'Yeah, not many people do.' Caleb replied, shrugging. Harry frowned. Caleb's comment made him inexplicably angry, though he couldn't really say why.

'You look nothing like each other though. I have twin brothers, Fred and George. They're starting their third year. They look identical 'cept if you live with them for a while you start to notice the difference. It's not easy though, even mum still gets confused.'

'Wicked! It must be so cool to have an identical twin.' Harry frowned even further at this, wasn't he good enough for him?

'Yeah, I suppose. You'll always have at least one friend no matter what.'

'At least your two brothers are at school to help you out if you need them.'

'Two? I wish. Percy's here as well, he's a prefect this year.'

'Cool, three brothers!'

Ron looked put-out at this. 'Five actually. Bill and Charlie have already left school. And Ginny, my sister, is starting next year. There are seven of us all together.'

Caleb looked excited at the prospect of having six siblings but Ron didn't look too happy.

'It must be nice having all those brothers and sisters.'

'Not really. You never have any say in anything. I'm the youngest boy so that's even worse. At least Ginny's the only girl, so she's okay. Worst thing is, you get all the hand-me-downs. My rat, Scabbers, he's Percy's old pet. And my wand's passed down too.'

Caleb looked slightly uncomfortable, the Potters were very well off so hand-me-downs had never been a problem.

'I guess the worst thing has to be always being in their shadow. Bill was head-boy and Charlie was an amazing seeker. Percy's really clever and he's a prefect now. Ginny's a girl so that's no problem for her. And Fred and George, they're the popular guys. They're pranksters and really funny too, everyone loves them. In their own way they're clever. They want to start up their own joke shop and they've started coming up with some really cool ideas too.'

Both of the Potter twins had perked up at what Ron had just said, but for different reasons. Caleb at the mention of pranksters, ideas of prank wars and coalition were running through his head, Harry at the idea of being in someone's shadow. It seemed Ron could identify with his situation. Harry was always in Caleb's shadow and Ron in his brothers'.

Harry studied Ron closely, wondering if maybe he could be friends with him. Their situations were strangely similar. Harry didn't think he'd find another who could understand what his life was like like Ron could. Ron would understand what it was like to always be less significant than your brother.

But it seemed like that was never going to happen. Ron was one of those children who'd grown up on stories about the Boy-Who-Lived, Caleb seemed to be something of an idol to him. They were talking happily to each other now about pranks and Quidditch. Ron would never choose Harry over Caleb, and they couldn't both be friends with him, otherwise where would he be? Still in Caleb's shadow. Harry sighed and leaned against the window, staring unseeingly at the scenery.

Soon enough the trolley lady came to their compartment, asking if they wanted anything. Ron muttered something unintelligible and held up a pack of sandwiches. Caleb however jumped up immediately and bought a huge bunch of sweets, as any child with plenty of money would do. Dumping the load on the seat, Caleb grinned at his new friend and told him to dig in. Harry watched them out of the corner of his eye, it didn't surprise him that his brother would forget him. He supposed that Caleb was still upset about the wand.

He stared back out of the window. He had never been one for sweets anyway but it would have been nice for his brother to acknowledge him. They'd barely started when the door opened once more. Draco stood in the doorway with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him like bodyguards. Caleb immediately glared at him, James and Sirius had never spared any occasion to tell him what a revolting piece of scum Lucius Malfoy was and his son was probably no better.

'So it's true then, the precious Chosen One has decided to grace us with his presence this year.' Draco said with a sneer.

'Get lost Malfoy, no one asked you to come here.'

'There's no need to be rude, I was just saying hello.'

Ron snorted at this and gave Malfoy a dirty look. Draco turned to look at him and his sneer widened.

'No need to introduce yourself, it's quite obvious who you are. Red hair, freckles and filthy old robes. You must be a Weasley. Already palling up to the Boy-Who-Lived are you? I'm sure the Potters would be able to lend you money, Merlin knows you need it.'

Ron had turned a brilliant shade of red at Draco's words and Caleb looked furious. Harry merely rolled his eyes at his friend when he was sure Caleb and Ron wouldn't see him. Draco loved antagonising people, it presented an image he said, though Harry was never sure if such an image was a good thing.

Both Ron and Caleb stood up, readying themselves for a fight. Crabbe and Goyle stepped into the compartment, their bulky frame and short haircuts going some way to intimidating the two, though they'd never admit it. Caleb and Ron knew they were outnumbered and Caleb quickly glanced over at his brother, confused as to why Harry hadn't stood up yet to back them up. But Harry had no intention of supporting his twin. He wasn't ready to announce his friendship with Draco quite yet but the short time spent on the train with his twin left him confused and hurt and in no mood to help Caleb with anything.

Before any actual fighting could begin though, a voice from outside interrupted them.

'I do hope you're not fighting. We haven't even reached school yet.' The slightly condescending tone of a young girl drifted over to them before they could put a face to the voice.

Draco turned and took a step to the side revealing a brown-haired girl. She had the look of someone who thought breaking rules was a preposterous idea and the very notion that someone could be doing so prior to actually arriving at school, shocking. Behind her stood a slightly chubby boy who was holding a toad in his hands.

'And what, may I ask; does it have to do with you?' Draco sneered at her as he was often wont to do and turned back to the two in front of him before she could answer. He smirked at them before his eyes settled on Harry. He made no motion of recognising him, though a gleam in his eyes told otherwise.

'Well, it seems this compartment is suddenly over flowing with blood traitors and mudbloods. We'll be taking our leave now before we're contaminated with anything filthy.'

Draco tilted his head to the right slightly as he turned to leave. It was an action missed by all of the occupants bar Harry, who recognised it for what it was. It was a subtle invitation for him to join them where Draco would be waiting in a compartment near the back of the train.

Draco left the compartment with his head held up high, his cronies following wordlessly. The girl outside pursed her lips slightly as he went by but said nothing, she and the boy coming inside out of the corridor and sitting down as soon as they were gone.

'Hey Neville, how are you?' Caleb and Neville had been friends since they were small as both of their parents had always been close friends themselves.

'Fine, thanks. Hermione's just been helping me find Trevor, he keeps on running away.'

The girl beside him took that opportunity to introduce herself.

'I'm Hermione Granger.'

Caleb shook her outstretched hand and nodded, 'Are you a muggleborn then?'

Hermione just looked confused, so Caleb elaborated. 'You know, a witch or wizard who's born to parents with no magic.'

'Oh yes, I suppose I am. It was such a shock when I got my letter, we thought it was a joke. But then Professor McGonagall came and explained everything to us. I know who you are of course, Caleb Potter the Boy-Who-Lived. I bought some extra books in Diagon Alley and you're in a lot of them.'

Caleb grinned as she said that, before introducing Ron to her as well.

'I'm afraid I don't know who you are?' She asked looking at Harry.

'Harry Potter, his twin,' he replied monotonously, jerking a thumb towards Caleb.

'Oh really? I'm surprised I've never heard of you, you're not mentioned at all in any of the books I got.'

'How shocking,' he muttered under his breath.

Once realising that he wasn't going to continue the conversation, she turned back to Caleb to start a discussion on the Wizarding World and his role in it. Harry sighed and leaned against the window. Pressing his forehead to the pane of glass he sighed again. His thoughts mulled over what Caleb had said, how Ron and Hermione had reacted. No one knew who he was, no one knew he even existed. He didn't like public affairs, that was true, but he that didn't mean he preferred total anonymity.

Before anyone could say otherwise, he quickly got up and moved to the door. He ignored the questioning glances shot his way and headed out into the corridor in the direction of Draco's compartment. It didn't take him long to get there and Draco's hair was easy to recognise. He slipped in quickly and sat down in an empty seat.

'Morning Draco.'

'Morning Harry, you know Crabbe and Goyle,' he said tilting his head in the direction of the two boys stuffing themselves with sweets, 'this is Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson.'

Harry smiled politely at the other three in the compartment as Draco introduced him to them. If they were shocked that the Boy-Who-Lived had a twin or that he had chosen to sit with them, they didn't show it.

Harry didn't say much for the rest of the train journey, there was nothing he could say really in front of the rest of the boys. He didn't know any of them and he didn't think they knew how close he and Draco were either. That was one secret he'd rather keep quiet about for now.

It grew dark outside as time went by, until soon nothing could be seen but the blackness of the night. Harry snuck into the compartment he left earlier to get some robes, pretending again to not see the questioning looks his brother was sending his way. Caleb didn't want to question him in front of everyone and make it seem like he was prying or even concerned, so Harry managed to get away easily.

As the train slowed to a halt, Harry joined Draco and the others on the platform, heading over to the huge giant of a man standing with a lantern and calling for the first years. Following the man named Hagrid, they climbed down the winding path coming to a stop in front of a dark lake, where numerous boats were awaiting them. Harry joined Draco, Nott and Zabini in a boat leaving Crabbe and Goyle to fend for themselves. On the other side of Hagrid, Harry could see Caleb, Ron, Hermione and Neville get in a boat together.

The fleet of boats left silently, no one saying anything. The darkness around them was imposing, the inky depths of the lake threatening. As they passed through a wall of ivy vines, Hagrid shouted out,

'You'll be seeing Hogwarts fer the firs' time now.'

They all simultaneously craned their heads to look ahead of them and as the majestic beauty of Hogwarts appeared before them, they stared in wonderment. Harry didn't think he'd see a sight this wonderful ever again.

Hogwarts stood against the dark background of the night, its irregular shape glowing from the light surrounding it. Turrets and towers sprung up into the sky and lanterns hung on the walls to give the school light to see in. The gasps from around him told him that everyone else was just as awed as he was.

They drew nearer the school until they stopped in a sort of underground cavern. They quickly left the boats and huddled in a group by the large doors in front of them. Hagrid knocked heavily on the doors and stepped back. One of the doors opened swiftly, revealing a tall strict woman wearing long plain robes with her hair pulled into a tight bun.

'The firs' years, Pr'fessor.'

'Thank you, Hagrid.'

She beckoned the group forward and led them into a small room. She stood at the front, in the doorway, and waited for the nervous shuffling to stop.

'Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor and Transfiguration teacher here. Very shortly you will be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.' Someone in the middle of the group snorted at the mention of Slytherin, someone who Harry suspected was Caleb, and Professor McGonagall shot them a disapproving look.

'While you are here at Hogwarts your house will be your family. You will eat together at your house table and share a common room. You will be rewarded with house points for good behaviour but be warned, any rule breaking will result in points being taken off.' She eyed Caleb as she said that, who was trying his best to look innocent. 'At the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup. A great honour indeed. I'm sure you will work hard, whichever house you're in. You are to wait here until we are ready for you. I suggest you take the time to make yourself presentable.' She eyed one or two people in the room pointedly before turning around briskly and leaving.

Harry patted his hair half-heartedly knowing that whatever he did it was never going to lie flat anyway. Caleb on the other hand ruffled his up to make it messier. Caleb had always been envious of Harry's hair. He had inherited his hair from Lily but it was no secret that he wished he could have had his father's. Harry, equally, wished he could have had his mother's. Sometimes the world was just twisted.

From where Harry was standing, he could hear Ron going on about how his brothers said they had to wrestle a troll to get sorted. It was obviously a lie but Ron's worked up frenzy left most of the people around him believing it. Caleb was sniggering beside him but wasn't correcting him either. Ron was cut off mid-rant by Professor McGonagall's return.

'We are ready now. Follow me.'

They filed up behind her in pairs, nervously following her into the Great Hall. Immediately they all looked up to stare at the ceiling. But from what they could see, it wasn't there. Instead they could the night sky, the stars and moon shining down on them. Hermione's whisper of how it was actually enchanted to look like the sky carried over to the whole group.

Surrounding them were four long tables filled with students. Hovering above them were floating candles illuminating the hall in its glow. As they stopped in a group at the front, they could see another table facing them. In the middle sat the Headmaster who was smiling down at them. On his right was an empty space but on his other side sat Harry's parents. James and Lily grinned at him when they caught his eye and he offered a small smile in return.

Turning his head back to Professor McGonagall, he saw her place a ratty old hat on a stool. For a moment the entire hall was quiet before the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing.

'_Oh you may not think me pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in __Gryffindor__,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set __Gryffindor__s apart;  
You might belong in __Hufflepuff__,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient __Hufflepuff__s are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old __Ravenclaw__,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in __Slytherin__  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!'_

The hall filled with the sounds of clapping as the hat finished its song, looking as smug as a hat can look. Once everyone was quiet again Professor McGonagall continued.

'Once I call your name, come up and sit on the stool and I will place the hat on your head.'

She unravelled a roll of parchment and announced,

'Abbott, Hannah.'

A blond girl with a pink face, who had the unfortunate distinction of being the first in the year, nervously stumbled up to the stool before the hat was placed on her head, completely covering her eyes. A moment later the brim of the hat opened again and it shouted out,

'Hufflepuff!'

The rest of the sorting continued in the same vain and Harry watched in interest as Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were all predictably sorted into Slytherin. Eventually the names reached the 'P' section of the alphabet and following a marked pause by Professor McGonagall, she said,

'Potter. Caleb.'

Harry wasn't surprised when whispers broke out across the hall. Caleb's acceptance into Hogwarts had been publicly announced and it was all the papers could talk about for days. Harry struggled to blot out the sounds of students excited to finally see the Chosen One in the flesh and focus on the sorting taking place.

There was suddenly nothing but dead silence and nervous anticipation until the brim opened and the hat shouted,

'Gryffindor!'

The hall exploded into loud cheers and exuberant clapping. On the head table, Harry could see his parents grinning excitedly, joining in with the clapping. Caleb grinned as he shook hands with the people he passed and sat down next to Neville and Hermione, who had also been sorted into Gryffindor. It took a while for the hall to quiet down again, especially as two twins, who Harry judged to be Fred and George from their freckles and red hair, insisted on cat calling and cheering loudly. Eventually though Professor McGonagall called out,

'Potter, Harry.'

As he made his way up to the stool his face was a blank mask but inside he was in turmoil. All around him he could hear whispers of confusion and shock. No one had any idea he existed, had no idea that Caleb had a twin. He'd never really thought about it before, never really cared. But from the moment he'd left King's Cross that was all he was thinking about.

The hat dropped over his head, covering his eyes from the curious stares of the students. All at once a voice sounded in his head,

'Hello Mr Potter.'

'Err, hello Mr Sorting Hat.'

He could hear the sounds of chuckling in his head and then for a while the hat was silent.

'You have a very interesting mind, Mr Potter.'

'Thank you, I think.'

'You're exceptionally bright, your dedication to your studies is outstanding and at such a young age too. It's not often I have 11 year olds as clever as you, Mr Potter.'

'I like studying and learning new things.'

'Indeed and loyal too but perhaps not in the same way as a Hufflepuff. You certainly have the requirements for Ravenclaw, yet you don't belong there either. No I think we can be sure that it's Gryffindor or Slytherin that you belong to.'

'My parents wouldn't like it if I were in Slytherin. They'd prefer it if I were in Gryffindor with my brother.'

'You forget, Mr Potter that I can see into your mind. There is more to your words that you wish to say. Remember that I am here to sort _you_, not your parents. I should think that you'd rather spend the next seven years in a house you belong in than in a house you don't just to please your parents.'

'They'd be angry. They don't like Slytherin.'

'Of course not, but I'm sure the idea will grow on them. Eventually even they will recognise your Slytherin traits. You have plenty of ambition, I can see it all here. You hate being in your brother's shadow, don't you?'

'Well, yeah I suppose.'

'Don't lie to yourself, Mr Potter. Search within you and you'll find the answer. Do you really think you belong in Gryffindor?'

Harry paused and furrowed his brow, did he?

'No, not really I don't think.'

'I just sorted your brother into Gryffindor.'

'I know.'

'I can see the desire within you, to step out and make your self known. Will this happen in Gryffindor? Will they ever let you be more than just the Chosen One's twin?'

'I don't know.'

'You do know, you just don't want to say. Whatever you think Harry, I know you'll make a great Slytherin. They'll help you, of that I am sure. You will find your path to greatness there, they have far more than Gryffindor has to offer. Think Mr Potter, do you really want to spend the rest of your life as just an afterthought attached to your brother's name?'

Harry didn't know what to say. The conversation he had with Sirius swirled around in his head, filling him with doubts. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought about everything, about what he really wanted.

If was in Gryffindor he'd parents would be happy but he wouldn't be. He'd spend his school years just like he'd always done, being the lesser twin. On the other hand, Draco was in Slytherin and his voice had spent weeks selling Slytherin to him. His heart told him to go to Slytherin and to finally break away and make a name for himself. But his head was telling him not to risk everything he'd ever known for a dream. His relationship with his family would never be the same again, especially as he started to become friends with the Slytherins.

His mind drifted suddenly to five years ago when Caleb had received his practice wand and his conversation with Uncle Albus.

'_You need not be ashamed that he is stronger than you. Caleb is a very powerful child, be glad that you have a brother as strong as him.' _

He made up his mind right then. Uncle Sirius was right; family was just a small sacrifice he'd have to pay if he wanted something far greater. He _knew_ he was better than Caleb, he _knew _he was stronger. It was time he started proving himself to the world, fulfil the promise he'd made all those years ago.

It's time I showed them who really is the most powerful twin!

'No, you're right. I don't want to be an afterthought anymore; I want to be something better.'

'A wise decision. I wish you the best of luck in the future, Mr Harry Potter.'

To the Great Hall the sorting hat shouted,

'Slytherin!'

Silence. That was what Harry heard when he took the hat off. Not a single sound was made in the hall. Eventually Harry had to force the hat into the hands of Professor McGonagall who looked thoroughly shocked. Then Harry slowly made his way over to the Slytherin table trying to look unconcerned.

Their shock was understandable really. No Potter had been in Slytherin in, well, forever. It was completely unheard of. Especially as the Potter in question was the twin to the Boy-Who-Lived, the Wizarding World's saviour and all-round hero.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the angry face of his brother. Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Caleb looked betrayed, angry and upset. Looking closer, Harry could see that the I-knew-it expression on his face. Harry had no doubt that he'd just fully confirmed all of his brother's suspicions of him being a dark and evil wizard. Their brotherly relationship suddenly took a nosedive in the recovery department.

As the Harry walked down the side of the table, heading to join the other first years, the Slytherins began to clap. They nodded at him as he passed and greeted him like any other, though maybe a little less enthusiastically. As Harry sat down next to Draco and smiled at the others, he looked up at the head table.

He didn't think he'd ever seen such a gobsmacked expression on his parents' faces before. His dad stared down at him, his mouth slightly open. Shock and confusion were the predominant features on his face. When he saw him looking at him, James turned his head away to stare at his plate. Harry knew that James was going to take this the hardest, he'd probably be ashamed of him. Ashamed that one of his sons went into the house he'd hated all his life.

His mother though was harder to read. There was shock there of course but also hurt. In all honesty he didn't know what his mum would say to him being in Slytherin. She had never been that vocal in her dislike of the house before. Not like James had.

But then again, James hadn't ever really directed any of his Slytherins-are-evil tirades at him. He'd only ever told Caleb those kinds of things. He'd heard them in passing, sure, but he'd never actually been told them. So they couldn't blame him for that, could they? Maybe his dad wouldn't mind so much because it was him, maybe that's why he'd never told those stories to him?

Harry balled his fists under the table as the sorting got underway again. He loved his family and he hoped that they would still continue to love him, even if he was a snake now. Worry filled him, fear at being rejected by his family making his stomach churn. It was a stupid thing to fear he knew, but it was something that had always been at the back of his mind. What if he wasn't good enough for them? Caleb had always been the special one, the important one. The one everyone loved and praised. And he was just Harry. What if they didn't want him anymore because they'd rather only have Caleb?

He bit his lower lip nervously and frowned down at the table. Those thoughts swirled around in him for the rest of the sorting, leaving him faintly sick at the end.

Up at the head table, unknown to him, Dumbledore watched Harry, the twinkle in his eyes diminished somewhat. He had his own concerns to worry about. As much as he loved the boy as his own grandson, he still had to think about the rest of the wizarding world. Caleb was crucial to its well-being and if Harry was in anyway going dark or Merlin forbid, thinking about joining Voldemort, than he had a serious problem on his hands. Harry knew too much, had information that could easily give Voldemort the upper hand when he returned.

He was curious as to why Harry decided on Slytherin though, why he chose the house of snakes over any of the others. Surely he didn't want to purposely antagonise his family? James had always been openly anti-Slytherin. He would have thought that James would've jumped at every chance to tell his son that Slytherins were evil. He had definitely told Caleb though, so why had Harry chosen to go against the beliefs of his father?

A few seats down from him, Severus Snape also watched Harry, a blank expression on his face. Underneath the mask though, he was smug. This had to be the ultimate revenge on James Potter and his cronies. Potter's son in his house, in the house they despised so much. If he wasn't in public he would have laughed.

Pushing that thought aside though, he really shouldn't be surprised at this turn of events. For as long as he'd known him, he'd thought Harry would make an admirable Slytherin. And unlike Dumbledore, he knew why Harry had chosen Slytherin over following his father's and brother's footsteps. No one liked to be overshadowed by their brother, let alone their twin. Severus could understand the need to prove oneself only too well.

The rest of the feast went by in a daze for Harry. He didn't really listen to Uncle Albus' speech nor did he pay much attention to the food. After everything, he wasn't really hungry. The only lucid moment of the whole affair was when he was introduced to the rest of the first years.

Pretending to have never known Draco before, Harry shook his hand and those of the first years he'd met on the train. Besides the two of them, also in his year, were Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Of the female first years, Pansy Parkinson he'd already been introduced to. Apart from her were another three witches, Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis.

They were all welcoming enough though maybe a little cold, which Harry could easily attribute to the fact that he was a Potter, brother to the Chosen One and son to James and Lily. However once they saw that Draco was ignoring these things and actually attempting to be friends, they warmed up and he had his first real conversation with people his age.

Through this, he acted as calm and natural as possible. He knew that his family, and probably a great number of others, would be watching him or at least shooting glances over at him. Being obvious in his conversation and growing friendship with the other Slytherins probably wasn't the best idea if he wanted to make them less angry but right now he didn't care. He was making a point here and if he was going to be a snake he might as well go the whole hog and make some friends too.

After the feast though, Harry quickly returned to his worrying. He really didn't want to run into his family at all this evening. He'd rather they cooled down and slept on the idea than confront him immediately. Who knows, they might try to have him resorted and then he'd have to put his foot down and actually tell them that he _wanted_ to be in Slytherin, which would be a whole new problem. No, they were better off thinking that this decision was solely down to the Sorting Hat and they would be far more amicable tomorrow, once they got used to the idea.

So when the prefects started leading them out of the hall and down to the dungeons, Harry made sure he was hidden in the middle of the rest of the year group and proceeded to ignore those calling his name. Once they reached the dungeons, Harry let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding. Now that he was fairly safe from his family he could feel the exhaustion that had collected up over the afternoon, leaving him tired and drained. A warm bed seemed very inviting right now.

Following the prefect, he kept track of the twists and turns they took as they made their way further into the dungeons. Luckily he had a very good memory and a great sense of direction so he wouldn't have that much trouble finding his way around, though the fact that all of the hallways looked exactly the same and there were no identifying features in any of them didn't make it any easier.

Eventually though they stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall at the end of a dead end, of which there were many in the dungeons. Like all of the other dead ends, this had two small fires blazing in golden holders on each side of the wall. There wasn't anything remarkable about this particular pair, though if you looked closely you could see two small snakes engraved into the metal. Snakes that weren't there on any of the other holders.

The prefect turned around to face them and when he had their attention, spoke.

'This is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. There's not much to identify it so I would suggest coming and going in groups until you can find your way here on your own. The password will be changed every week and it will up on the notice board.'

He turned back to the wall and said,

'Gryffindor'

Draco grimaced, while Harry smiled appreciatively. After all, who would ever guess that as their password? The wall spilt into two and slid apart, revealing a spacious common room decorated in green and silver with a dash of black. Though it was cold in the dungeons, as they were under the lake, a roaring fire kept the place warm and cosy. Armchairs surrounded the fire with desks surrounding those. The whole room looked sophisticated and stylish.

The first years crowded around the fireplace and waited for Professor Snape, who it seemed was going to give them the customary first-year talk. They watched as older years filed past them, most of them shooting curious looks at Harry. Eventually though the common room was silent again and Professor Snape entered.

Stalking over to them with his black robes billowing behind him, Snape cut an intimidating figure. If Harry didn't already know him, he was sure he would be scared stiff by him. Snape paused in front of them and folded his arms across his chest, black eyes surveying them silently. It was only when everyone started to get nervous that he began to talk.

'Welcome to Slytherin. I am your Head of House, Severus Snape. You may call me Professor Snape or Sir. You should all be honoured that you have been deemed worthy to enter this house and follow in the footsteps of Salazar Slytherin. As such, you will at all times conduct yourself with the dignity and grace of a true Slytherin. Outside of this common room, you will be united. I will not tolerate fighting between Slytherins where everyone else can see you. All disagreements will be kept in here, do you understand me?'

'Yes sir,' came the chorused reply.

'I expect all of you to apply yourself fully to your studies. Detention and points-taking will be taken seriously, I don't want to hear that any of you have been getting into trouble, understand?'

'Yes sir.'

'Know that, as your Head of House, I am here to assist you if you have any problems. Feel free to come to me if you do and I will endeavour to try and solve whatever is wrong to the best of my abilities.'

'Yes sir.'

'Very well. There is a list of rules on the board that I want all of you to adhere to, make sure you check them at some point. That will be all; you may go to your dormitories. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight, Sir.'

Professor Snape eyed Harry strangely before whirling around and leaving. The prefect directed the group into their dormitories before also leaving.

The five boys with Harry were sharing a dorm room close to the common room. It was large and rectangular in shape. Six four-poster beds lined the wall to the left of the door and on the wall to the right of the door were a fireplace and a handful of armchairs. Opposite to the entrance door was another, which led to the bathroom and showers. On the right of the door they had just entered were three desks facing the wall and on the opposite side of the room next to the bathroom door were another three desks. All in all, it was a living space far superior to anything the Gryffindors had in their tower, especially if the stories his parents told of their school days were anything to go by.

Harry took the bed at the far end by the bathroom with Draco in the one next to him. Beside Draco was Blaise Zabini with Theodore Nott next to him. The last two beds were taken by Goyle and Crabbe respectively.

Their trunks had been bought up by the house elves and as soon as Harry picked his bed, Tiger jumped up on to it and curled up near the bottom of it. Caedo, Harry left in her tank by his bedside as she was already asleep and sleeping arrangements would have to be made when no one was around and he could safely speak to her in parseltongue.

They didn't say much as they started getting ready for bed, nor while they were unpacking. They only begun when they all lay in bed looking up at the ceiling, which along with the walls, were charmed to look like the night sky, rather like the Great Hall. It made it seem like they were sleeping outdoors in a field on top of a hill.

'So Harry, think your parents are gonna be angry?' It was Blaise who asked the question as he rolled onto his side to face Harry.

'Dunno, probably.'

'I'm sure they'll get used it. If not, you haven't lost much. They'd be rubbish parents if they hated you because of a house.' This was the first time Theodore had said anything to Harry apart from the usual small talk and Harry was happy for the support.

Harry hummed in agreement before pulling the covers up to his chin. Happy though he was that he was starting to make friends with his peers, he wasn't quite ready yet to discuss personal family matters with them. Maybe with Draco when they were alone, but certainly not in the dorm room at night.

Draco must have picked up on this, for he suddenly changed the subject to lessons and how much they'd already studied before school. Harry, of course, was well ahead of the first year syllabus so their discussion didn't really interest him if he didn't want to reveal that bit of information. He spotted Canis Major on the ceiling above the fireplace and he focused on it, returning his thoughts firmly back to his family.

No doubt tomorrow was going to be a difficult day. Thankfully, he could safely say he wasn't going to have any lessons with his parents so that at least was something. However, he really didn't want to run into his brother who, if the wand incident was any indication of his character, wasn't likely to have calmed down at all between now and then.

As the talk of his year mates lulled him to sleep, he couldn't help but feel a little scared of the talk that was inevitably going to happen between him and his family. One thing he did know though, he wasn't going to leave Slytherin. Whether good or bad, he felt right at home in the House of Snakes.

--

**A/N: **Took me a long to write this chapter, but that maybe because it's twice as long as my normal ones. 27 pages and over 10 000 words. Oh yes!!

Anyway, it feels as if a lot has happened in this, it's probably all the dialogue.

**Stylw: **Thanks for the idea of Harry talking with Sirius! Turned out to be very useful.

All reviews will be warmly welcomed with a hug and a mug of hot chocolate…Extra cookies for anyone who guesses (or google searches) what Caedo means.

Anyone for a hug?


	7. A Normal Boy At Last

**Summary:** Mistakenly thought to be autistic, Harry is overlooked as his twin brother Caleb is heralded as the Boy Who Lived. Determined to be better than Caleb and with an IQ that's off the scale, Harry is left to his own devices to try and reach his full potential. Child of the light, prodigy of the dark, which side will he choose?

**Disclaimer:** I own Harry Potter and I'm going to sue the lot of you for copyright infringement.

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to** Mormon-Girl13 **for her amazingly inspiring review that really motivated me to start writing this chapter despite all the work I had to do. Thanks!

**A/N: **A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me to their author alert list, story alert list, favourites list and added this fic to their C2. I'm honoured that you like it and it's been a great motivation for me.

A big thanks also to my beta, Kaeim, whose wonderful advice and help has proved invaluable.

**NB:** It's been too long, I know. I've got lots of reviews from people asking me to update soon and why I was taking so long. It's not an excuse but I wrote the first six chapters while I was holiday and now that I've started school I've been constantly drowning in a lake of work. I am sorry and I will try my best to update sooner next time.

BUT don't worry; I **WON'T** ever abandon this story. Never fear!

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Child Of The Light, Prodigy Of The Dark

Dyly

Chapter 7

_A Normal Boy At Last_

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For you to race me home when it was nearly getting dark

How I could've been yours, and you'd be mine

It could've been me and you until the end of time

Do what you want, when you want, be as fucking insincere as you can

I wont be the lonely one, sitting on my own and sad

A fifty year old, reminiscing what I had.

Forget your dad, he's gone

Forget your dad, he's gone

~ _Daddy's Gone_ (Glasvegas)

If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity. - Bill Vaughan

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The great hall rang out with noise as Harry approached it moodily. Even though the doors were closed, the sound still echoed around the entrance hall, reminding Harry that he really shouldn't have tried to put this off. In fact, he had probably only made it worse. Draco, sensing his distress, stayed silent as he walked beside him.

The night hadn't left him any less tired. His worries regarding his sorting and his family's consequential reaction made it harder for him to fall asleep and when he finally did, he was plagued with all sorts of nightmare, most revolving around the central theme of rejection and hatred.

Thinking about it here in the corridor, made it sound foolish. He'd long ago gotten over his fears of being rejected from his family after he'd seen no ill will from any of his family. Sure, they spent a lot of time with Caleb, training and what not, but he was grateful for it. It curbed his twin's exuberant energy and left him with plenty of time to study and generally do what he wanted. But as much as he ignored it, he couldn't completely eradicate the feeling that they would suddenly realise that they didn't need him and then discard him carelessly.

He'd never spent any significant amount of time pondering the nature and depth of his family's extreme dislike of Slytherin House and the Dark. They had of course dedicated their life to fighting the Dark side, notably Voldemort, but unlike Caleb they had never tried to project their opinions on him. As a result, he'd grown up with a far more liberal approach to the Dark than Caleb.

Still he didn't think they would possibly take that as an excuse. He winced as he thought about it; no it was best not to mention anything to do with liberalism in the same conversation as the Dark.

Harry opened the door with a sense of impending doom, and Draco patted him on the back supportively. The hall fell into silence as he crept into the room, the weight of a hundred stares burying him into the ground. In hindsight, perhaps making his first appearance in public alongside Draco Malfoy, whose family was well known for its love and support of the Dark, was not the greatest idea. He studiously ignored the head table as he skulked towards the Slytherin table and slipped in next to the rest of his housemates.

He sniffed as he stared at the tables around him trying to ignore the whispers. Thankfully, the Slytherins acted no differently, chatting between them and cloaking the awkward tension in the room with a false sense of normalcy. Eventually, the rest of the school turned back to their conversations and Harry was left in relative peace, poking at his food and ignoring the questions aimed at him.

He could feel his skull prickle where he was certain his parents were burning hole into it with their vicious glares. Sure, he hadn't actually looked up there to see just how severe they looked but he didn't need to. He knew how angry they would be and didn't need proof of it either. Realising that looking moody and grumpy on his first day could hardly support his claim of wanting to be in Slytherin, he straightened up and started paying more attention to what everyone else was saying just as Snape began moving down the table handing out new timetables.

Snape paused when he reached them and gave them their timetables with a nod, his gaze lingering for a fraction on Harry.

'First day of classes, gentleman, I expect all of you to represent your house well.'

'Yes sir,' they chorused obediently, as they were expected to.

Snape nodded once more and moved on, smirking as he heard the groans he left behind. His curiosity peaked, Harry picked up his discarded timetable.

He sighed as he took in the details, understanding the others' misery. His first lesson was History of Magic, followed by Charms with the Ravenclaws and then, God forbid, Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. Potions finished the day off, and any excitement in him for one of his favourite subjects was destroyed by the horrendous fact that he was going to be joined by his twin and the rest of the Gryffindors - again.

The day could only get worse, he though miserably. Transfiguration with the Gryffindors and Professor McGonagall could only ever be an opportunity for them to corner him and that was a conversation he was trying to put off indefinitely. His feet dragged him to History of Magic and he barely even looked at Binns as he launched into his lecture. He'd already skimmed through all of the material years ago and he'd readily lay a bet that the rest of the class had too. It was a topic all Purebloods learnt, the traditionalists at least, which was a good thing. He couldn't see how anyone could learn from one as monotonous and soporific as Binns.

Pulling out a stack of bound parchment, he closed his eyes and centered himself. There was no need to waste any more time worrying. Time was, as they said, money and he didn't have enough of it as it were. Focusing on his latest Arithmancy thesis allowed him to take his mind off its last point of dwelling and once he was deeply embroiled in his work he didn't notice the time pass. It took plenty of nudging and poking from Draco at the end of class before he gave up and packed away his stuff.

Navigating the corridors turned out to be surprisingly treacherous. Wherever he went people seemed to stop in corridors and stare at him. Whispers followed him and suspicious and curious glances surrounded him. Following a lifetime of relative anonymity, this sudden influx of attention distressed and disturbed him in equal measures.

As he sat in the Charms classroom waiting for Professor Flitwick he thought that the one positive thing about the whole affair was that there seemed to be some kind of loyalty within his Slytherins "friends" towards him. They crowded around him to protect him as best as they could and as filled with dread as he was with his choice, he was happy he had chosen the snakes. For the first time in a long while he felt like a normal boy, with mates he could count on and normal school days ahead of him. Normalcy sounded quite good to him right now.

He smiled softly to himself at the thought and it turned into a grin in the face of Draco's bemused smile. They turned to face the front together as Flitwick entered.

Hopping up onto a pile of precariously stacked books, Flitwick adjusted his glasses before beginning the register. He inevitably gave a squeak of excitement when he got to Caleb's name, almost falling off his stand doing so. Harry's name on the other hand was said in no more than a whisper accompanied by a curious and probing glance.

Once the register was done though, Flitwick returned to his usual excitable self and he cheerfully launched into an introduction to charms, which flowed straight into the theory for performing a levitation charm.

Harry barely held in a yawn as he slumped in his seat. This was almost like being made to learn the alphabet, after you'd already written your first novel. It was completely and utterly unnecessary and without a doubt, inexplicably boring. Harry fished out his thesis when Flitwick had his back to him and subtly carried on writing. On the other side of the room, he could see his beloved twin laughing with a few boys around him. Their eyes caught and his face immediately tightened into a glare.

He mouthed the words, 'Mum and Dad are going to murder you'. Harry scowled back at him and looked down again, making sure he kept a neutral disinterested look on his face. Caleb didn't need to know how affected he was by that.

Harry's mind drifted to his parents again and he sighed gently. Once again worry and fear wrapped themselves around his stomach and he immediately regretted eating breakfast.

By the time Flitwick clapped his hand together excitedly, Harry was already evaluating and re-evaluating various arguments and reasons he could employ in his inevitable fight with his parents. He looked around curiously when everyone started pulling their wands out. Straightening up he followed suit.

Draco leaned sideways and said, 'we're practicing the levitation charm. Most people here won't get it, mudbloods and whatnot. How long do you think we should wait before doing it?'

Harry tapped the table with the tip of his wand and shrugged, 'long enough for it to seem as if we've practiced it a few times, I suppose.'

Draco nodded and they leaned back to watch the Gryffindors. Harry snorted derisively as he watched Caleb twirl his wand elaborately before waving it airily at the feather in front of him. It immediately caught alight and Flitwick had to hurry over to put it out.

'Really, Mr Potter, I expected better. I understand that it is difficult working with a new wand but maybe a little bit more care is needed. Less airs and graces and more control.'

Caleb looked irritated and glared at Flitwick's back as he moved away to the Slytherin side of the room. Knowing him, he was probably feeling humiliated by that pathetic display of a simple charm. Caleb flung himself back into his seat in a sulk, frowning at the table, his arms crossed over his chest.

Harry didn't know whom he was more scornful of. Caleb for being so useless or Dumbledore for insisting on waiting until Caleb was eleven before he got a proper wand. For all the trouble they went to, to train him and teach him, they waited until before Hogwarts before getting rid of the toy one. Where was the point in that?

'Well, Mr Potter, why don't you give it a go?'

Harry jerked his around to stare at Flitwick standing in front of him. Preoccupied as he was, he had missed his arrival. Lifting his eyes to Caleb he smirked.

'Wingardium Leviosa' he muttered, waving his wand minutely in the pretence of needing the incantation and wand movements to perform the spell. His feather rose steadily in front of him, hovering above his head.

'_Do you know what this is, Harry? A wonderful opportunity to show off.'_

Harry's eye twitched when he heard his voice say that. If there was one thing he really detested it was showing off. After all, attracting any more attention to himself than was strictly necessary was an idea he'd always been adverse to.

'It's not about attracting attention; it's about standing up for yourself. Show him and everyone else what you're really made of. The whole school will know by the end of the day and then you'll earn some real respect round here.'

Holding eye contact with Caleb, he gave his wand a twitch, controlling the feather in an elaborate pattern of twists and turns in the air. He was oblivious to the gasps and wonderment of his classmates, as the feather's dance became increasingly intricate and complex. His eyes were joined with those of his brother. Words weren't needed to convey what he was saying to him.

As the feather dropped to a rest back no the table, Flitwick clapped vigorously.

'My, my, that was wonderful. You must have inherited your mother's talent at charms. I wonder if you could do more perhaps?'

That of course drew Harry's attention back to the professor in front of him. More? He was never one for arrogance, but he wasn't in a charitable mood right now and his voice was making humiliating Caleb further a greater incentive to break the mould for once.

Gripping his wand tighter, he peered down at his professor. Waving his wand again, every feather in the room rose simultaneously. Gracefully twirling his wand, the feathers swirled around the room in formation, floating gently from one direction to the other. Spinning faster, they became more independent from each other, flying in their own patterns. Flexing his fingers around the handle, the feathers clumped together in a ball above Flitwick's head before dropping gently down, imitating rain.

Though it wasn't at all difficult for Harry, Flitwick seemed delighted by the display.

'Thirty points to Slytherin Mr Potter for that excellent display of the levitation charm. Truly impressive.' Flitwick beamed at Harry before turning away to go and help another Gryffindor.

'Yeah Harry, truly impressive.' Draco chirped.

'Simply sublime' Blaise muttered, leaning down to Harry's ear.

'Exceptionally excellent.'

'Phenomenally fantastic'

Harry turned to stare at Theo.

'Phenomenally doesn't begin with a f.'

'Yeah, but it sounds like an f, so it counts.' Theo replied, with a shrug.

Harry rolled his eyes before turning them back to the front. Caleb tracked his movements with angry eyes. Harry cocked his head at him and waved mockingly. He was baiting him, he knew, but he didn't particularly care right now and those opportunities had thus far been few and far between.

They spent the rest of the lesson practising the levitation charm and Caleb had by the end managed to get used to his wand enough to be able to do it. He and a girl named Hermione Granger were the only ones from Gryffindor who did, though most of the Slytherins didn't have any trouble with it.

Caleb did of course have a problem with this turn of events. Harry and his friends were making their way over to the door, on their way to Transfiguration when Caleb stepped in front of them blocking the exit. The red head and a couple of others bunched up behind him in support, though they looked wary when Crabbe and Goyle appeared. Harry raised an eyebrow at this,

'Problem Caleb?'

'Problem? I'll tell you what the problem is, you and them.' He spat, jabbing his finger at them as he spoke.

'Well, that's not _my_ problem so if you don't mind we'll be leaving.'

'How could you? Consorting with death-eaters and filth. You're a Potter, you should be in Gryffindor.'

'I can be wherever I want to be, and believe me when I say that it has absolutely nothing to do with you.' Harry growled, his face taut with anger and rage.

'Yes it is, I'm the one who has to take Voldemort down. I thought you were my brother but it's obvious you'd rather support the dark. You're just one of them now.'

Harry clenched his fists in rage and moved forwards as if to hit Caleb, but was quickly restrained by Draco and Blaise.

'Don't bother ever coming home, _Harry_, no one wants you back anyway. Try changing your name, it's not like you're a Potter anymore, you're nothing but a disgrace and a shame to the family.'

Caleb quickly turned and left, probably to avoid the fight that was bound to happen if he stayed. Still restrained by his friends, Harry swore loudly. Pulling away he kicked the closed door trying to vent the anger that had built up. Once finished he leant against it and pressed his forehead to the wood.

'Forget it Harry, your brother's a jerk. He's just jealous of you, you showed him up big time and you got Slytherin thirty points. No wonder he's upset.' Draco patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Harry sighed and stood up. Straightening his glasses and adjusting his robes, he took his bag off Theo.

'Let's just go to Transfiguration before we get late.' He muttered.

When they slipped into their Transfiguration lesson, Harry was as calm and collected as ever, though Professor McGonagall did eye him speculatively. Unlike the rest of the teachers he'd had so far, McGonagall took the register normally without bringing any attention to the two Potters.

McGonagall was one of those teachers who took no nonsense from any of her pupils. It was rumoured that she was fair to everyone, and that she showed no favouritism to the Gryffindors. Having known her all his life, Harry was curious to see how she taught and whether she really was as fair as she was made out to be.

'Transfiguration is one of the most important branches of magic you will learn here at Hogwarts. It is a journey you will all take together until at least your fifth year. I don't expect that any of you will find this subject easy. Transfiguration requires practice, dedication and diligence, as does any other form of magic. I do however expect nothing less than your utmost effort in every lesson and for every homework.'

Here she paused to flick her wand at her oak desk, turning it into a pig and then back again. Most of the class gasped at this display of magic, eager to start doing that themselves.

'You won't be turning furniture into animals for a while, I'm afraid. We will be starting with simple transfiguration. Get your quills and parchment out, you will be making notes first.'

Most of the class looked disappointed at that, though they hastened to follow the command when McGonagall gave them a stern look. The first half of the lesson was then spent on the theory behind transforming a match into a needle. Though he was far ahead of this standard, Harry made the notes anyway. He thought it unlikely that he'd be able to get away with anything else.

It was with a sigh of relief that they all took their wands out to start practicing the spell. While everyone else immediately launched themselves into their task, Harry used the end of his wand to scratch the back of his neck. He made sure that he didn't look anywhere near Caleb, he didn't want to be tempted into showing off again. It was harder though to miss McGonagall's comment on his brother's attempt,

'A good try Mr Potter, but you should be focussing a bit more. You need to control your magic and concentrate it on your match. Try to direct and channel it down your wand.'

Harry snuck a glance over in their direction and saw Caleb once again trying to show off and failing miserably.

He looked back again quickly lest Caleb saw him watching but he once again couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment. His parents had given up most of their time for the last five years to train him, leaving him on his own. The least he asked for was that it was worth something. Five years of training and Caleb couldn't even do any basic spells, or at least he couldn't with a real wand. Toy wands didn't mean anything in the real world.

He tapped his wand on the desk rhythmically, keeping one eye on McGonagall's approaching figure as she made her way over to where he sat. Beside him, Draco had made his match turn silver, though its shape was in no way affected. He muttered directions to him out of the corner of his mouth stopping when McGonagall reached his desk.

'Let's see what you can manage then, Mr Potter.'

Harry nodded and flicked his wand at the match in front of him. It slowly darkened into a metallic silver, becoming thinner and more pointed at the tip until a perfect needle was left in its place. McGonagall smiled at him and awarded five points to Slytherin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Caleb once more scowling at him.

When the lesson finished, Caleb and his friends were quick to leave, though that didn't stop them from glaring at him as they left. As Harry made his own way out of the room McGonagall stopped him. Harry nodded to his friends to go ahead without him to lunch and went to stand by her desk until everyone else had left.

'Good work today, Harry, you're obviously a natural.' McGonagall said with a small smile.

'Thank you, professor.' Harry said with a nod.

'Your mother asked me to pass on a message to you. She wants you to come up to her rooms for lunch.'

Harry pressed his lips together and nodded again, before saying a hurried goodbye. Possibly McGonagall could guess at some of what was going on in his mind, for she didn't question him anymore, letting him leave without further conversation.

It was a slow walk up to his parents' room. He'd struggled against the tide of students rushing down to lunch absentmindedly, being thrown from side-to-side and knocked into walls without a thought. Now though there was no one in the halls and the only company he had were his own thoughts and the scuffling of his feet on the stone flag floor.

Sooner than he'd have liked, he was standing in front of the door to his parents' room, stalling as much as could. He reached forwards to knock but then stuffed his hand straight back into his pocket. Rocking on the balls of his feet, he pondered the situation.

A few days ago, before he'd come here to Hogwarts; if someone had asked him if he were worried that his parents would even disown him he'd have denied it immediately. Now though, he wasn't so sure, and it really didn't help that this was one of those strange situations that you just couldn't predict what was going to happen.

Hunching his shoulders, he thrust an arm out and knocked sharply on the door before he could bail out anymore. Swinging his leg backwards and forwards he waited nervously. In the silence of the hallway, he could hear the approaching footsteps on the other side of the door. It swung open to reveal his mother. Smiling softly at him, she opened the door wider to let him in. Squeezing through the gap, Harry shuffled forwards to stand inside.

The room had definitely received a woman's touch. Artfully decorated, it was a warm, open space despite the generally cold nature of the castle. A crackling fire flared in the fireplace to his right, and surrounding it were armchairs and sofas sitting on a red woolly rug that encompassed the entire area around the fire.

The mantelpiece was filled with framed photos of the Potters; family portraits and snaps of them in various locations and poses. In all the rush, Harry had forgotten how much he'd missed his home but this brought it all back to him. It was almost like stepping directly from the castle into his own living room.

Lily stepped up behind him and squeezed his shoulders, gently guiding him to the sofas. Dropping his bag by the end table, he sat down next to Sirius, who playfully cuffed him around the back of the head.

'Getting down and dirty with the snakes are we?' He muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Harry turned to look at him, relieved to hear no ill-intent in his voice. Sirius' face was as open and honest as ever, and Harry could easily read the shock and faint hurt in it as his godfather took in the Slytherin tie and jumper. More obvious than that though, was the smile on his face and the shimmering in his eyes that showed his pride for him. Harry struggled to smile back at him, he was sure that his own face was more shocked than Sirius'.

On the sofa to his right sat Remus, who grinned back when he turned to look at him. Winking he took a swig of his drink but didn't say anything. It seemed as if they were all waiting for either Lily or James to speak first.

On Sirius' left was an armchair occupied by Caleb, who was openly scowling at him, a mixture of anger and hate dominating his features, but Harry was hardly surprised by that. Next to him in another armchair sat his father.

James was sitting tersely in his seat, his body pressed into the material. His hands gripped the arms of the chair tightly, his fingernails digging into the embroided material. He was a wearing a strained expression as he stared determinedly away from Harry, refusing to look up or even acknowledge his son.

Sirius took a sudden interest in the ceiling and Remus peered intently out of the window, both trying to stay as uninvolved as possible. Caleb was pouting moodily at his leg as he repeatedly slipped his foot in and out of his shoe. Clearing his throat slightly, Harry ventured a meek,

'Hello Dad.'

James however continued to steadfastly ignore him, though he did hunch his shoulders more, staring deeper into the fire. Caleb looked up suddenly to grin maliciously at him, taking pleasure in his look of anguish. Tearing his eyes away from him, Harry repeated,

'Dad?'

But to no avail. Though James did obviously hear him, he seemed to pay his son no attention preferring instead to peer into the fire. Harry frowned to cover up the hurt he felt, and sunk lower in his seat as Lily walked back in with a tray of tea. She placed it carefully on the coffee table between them, before sitting back in the seat next to Remus.

She was no fool though; she knew exactly what had happened even if she hadn't been there to witness it. Her eyes flickered from Harry to James and back again, but no one made eye contact. Suddenly the atmosphere had changed from nice and cosy to awkward and tense in a few short minutes.

'James,' Lily said frowning, 'Aren't you going to congratulate Harry?'

James ignored her as well, his frozen expression unchanging.

Narrowing her eyes at him, Lily leaned over to pat Harry on the knee. 'I have it on good authority that he's been quite impressive today in his lessons.'

Grimacing into the fire, James abruptly stood up. As one, the rest of them craned their necks up to look at him. Muttering something under his breath about an errand he had to run, he made a hasty exit from the room slamming the door shut on his way out.

Lily frowned deeply at the closed door, angry with her husband for his behaviour while Remus and Sirius looked worried. Harry stared down at his hands, as he twisted them in his lap, his eyes blinking rapidly behind his glasses trying desperately to ignore the ugly feeling growing in his chest.

'Harry-' Lily began.

Harry titled his head in her direction, though he didn't look up. He didn't want her to see the sudden watery-ness in his eyes.

'Harry, ignore your father. He's just very shocked.'

'He's had a day to get over it.' Harry replied bitterly.

'He will get over it, he _is_ over it. He just needs to get used to the idea'

'What, that his son is in Slytherin, the most evilest house of them all. That he's turned dark and is consorting with death eaters and plotting to bring down the light?'

'Yeah, that's about it' Caleb butted in.

Lily, Remus and Sirius all turned to glare at Caleb angrily and under the weight of their disapproval he backed down, hesitant to get on their bad sides at the same time. Though he looked apologetic, no one was fooled. It was obvious that he really believed that and Lily felt anguished that her son had turned out to be so close-minded. That he would turn on his brother and twin, on his family, so easily and readily. For a moment there, it felt as if she were back at the time when she first started Hogwarts, when Petunia had declared her hatred for her, despite it not being Lily's fault that she was the only witch in the family.

'No one believes that Harry.' She replied, throwing another stern look to Caleb. 'You're not evil, we know that. And no one hates you for going into Slytherin, not even James.' She paused to smile broadly at him before continuing. 'We're all very proud of you.'

Harry looked suddenly, surprised. 'You are?'

'Of course we are, you're my son. We'd be proud of you no matter where you went.'

Remus nodded his agreement and Sirius pulled Harry into his side in a one armed hug.

'We don't care that you're a Slytherin, Harry.'

'But I though you hated Slytherins? You and dad always go on about it, how can you just change your mind?'

'We were young when we were in Hogwarts. Young and foolish. We might have hated all Slytherins then but not anymore.'

'Just the evil ones then?' Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Well, statistically speaking-' Harry raised his eyebrows even more but Sirius ignored him and carried on. 'A lot of Slytherins really are death eaters. But I guess time and a war has brought us to the conclusion that real friends are few and far between but enemies are easily made and kept. So maybe not all Slytherins are evil…like you.'

Caleb snorted in derision.

'Stop it Caleb. I have no idea what's gotten into you but I'm guessing that somehow you think as a Gryffindor you have to hate your brother just because he's in Slytherin. But you're wrong, he's your brother no matter what happens and that comes before anything else.'

Caleb turned away angrily, hating that for the first time in his life Sirius was telling him off.

'None of us ever wanted you to grow up too fast but face it Caleb, you're the Boy Who Lived. If, no, when Voldemort returns you'll be fighting him, do you know what that's like? To not know if someone's a friend or an enemy? To spend every day in fear that you'll lose a loved one or that someone you thought was friend would betray you? Do you?'

Caleb shook his head mutely.

'Never forget Caleb, that war changes everyone. And at the end of the day, the only people you can really trust are your family. You're lucky you have a twin, don't push him away because of your narrow-minded judgement of how you think you should behave. I'm sad to think that it is James and I who are responsible for this but we probably are, telling you stories of our marauder days. If you're acting like this to be like us then stop, because I hope that if we had ever been in your situation when we were young we would have stood by our brother regardless.'

Sirius stopped, breathing heavily. The sudden fierce look and tense body language following probably the longest, most passionate speech of his life, looked strange on the usually laid back and joyful man. Caleb on the other hand looked more gormless than Harry had ever seen him, reeling as he was from the shock of having a few closely held truths shattered so efficiently.

Lily leant over the table to pour tea for everyone as they tried to digest Sirius' sudden change in behaviour. Harry sat forward as Lily held out a cup to him, but as he took hold of the cup Lily clasped her hands around his. Confused he looked up and Lily smiled back at him lovingly.

'I love you' she whispered.

There was a lump in Harry's throat as he replied, 'I love you too, Mum.'

Smiling she leant back and continued to pour tea as Harry stared deep into his cup, his eyes watery again.

'Professor Flitwick was telling us Harry, that you produced an astounding display of magic in his lesson today.'

'Uh-huh' Harry replied hesitantly.

'Must have been really something special to impress him so thoroughly.'

Harry shrugged and took sip of his tea.

'Where did you learn how to do that?'

Harry sighed and took another sip to give himself time to think. There was no way he could tell them about the wand he'd acquired all those years ago and had been practicing with ever since. And he definitely couldn't tell them just how far ahead of the Hogwart's syllabus he was because that would bring up a whole new can of worms and it wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now. Or ever for that matter.

'Just say that you'd studied the theory for awhile and you have a talent for adapting easily.'

'I read about it in one of mum's books a while ago. I guess I pick up new things easily or I just studied the theory well enough.'

Harry gave his voice a mental thumbs up and a high five for the save. Everyone seemed to accept that easily, they'd always known that Harry was a clever child and his explanation didn't seem that far-fetched.

'I'm glad to hear that you take after me. Filius, I believe, is planning on giving you some extra material to push you a bit more. He has high hopes for you and high expectations but I'm not worried, I know you'll do wonderfully.' Lily smiled at him again before leaning over to give him a kiss on the forehead.

Looking away from her Harry pushed himself into the sofa, smiling happily. Despite the catastrophe that was his father, he was immensely happy that whatever horrific images he'd conjured up previously were not going to happen. Knowing that his mother still loved him like she always did made him feel lighter than he had felt in days. Suddenly everything took a turn for the better. Not only did his family (or most of them at least) accept him for what he was and what he had chosen, but he also had friends, real friends who would stick by him.

Choosing Slytherin turned out to be the best decision of his life.

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**A/N:** Not the most interesting chapter but I hope you liked it.

I'll start work on the next chapter as soon as I can. I am however, reworking my story plan so once I've done that updates should be quicker.

By the way, I'd strongly, strongly urge you to listen to the song I took a quote from, 'Daddy's Gone', by Glasvegas. A really wonderful song that sounds stunning. Give it a go!

Anywho, please review and tell me what you thought.

A pot noodle and a signed photo of Bradley James to everyone who does!

(Does anyone else watch BBC's Merlin?)


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